Physical Activity And Active Lifestyle Program For Youth With Cerebral Palsy: A Stay-FIT Pilot Study

Description

We plan to develop a program to promote physical activity and encourage an active lifestyle in youth with cerebral palsy (CP) who are learning how to take care of themselves. To evaluate such a program, we need to be able to measure physical activity accurately. New technology (i.e., an accelerometer) that looks like a small pager provides the opportunity to detect someone's movement on a second-by-second basis over several days. What we do not know is whether this device can be used by youth with CP.

This Stay-FIT pilot study will provide information that is important to build a new program to promote physical activity and active lifestyle. This study will lay the groundwork for a larger intervention study to evaluate the effects of a new program to promote physical activity and encourage an active lifestyle in young people with CP (Stay-FIT intervention study). The two important questions to be addressed in this pilot study are:

1. Do accelerometers provide an accurate means to assess daily physical activity in youth with CP?
2. What are the existing barriers and facilitators to physical activity and active lifestyle that are reported by youth with CP, parents of youth and therapists who work with youth?

Research Team

Principal Investigator

Jan Willem Gorter MD PhD

Co-investigators

Brian Timmons PhD, Robert Palisano PhD, Virginia Wright PhD, Peter Rosenbaum MD

For more information, please contact:

Barb Galuppi, Project Coordinator

Funders

Ontario Federation for Cerebral Palsy (2010- 2011)

Outcomes (Measures)

Feasibility of using accelerometers to measure physical activity: This will be monitored for 7 consecutive days using an Actigraph accelerometer with a sampling interval (i.e., epoch) of 3 seconds. Participants and their parents will be asked to note any issues arising from the use of the accelerometer.

Barriers and Facilitators to physical activity: In focus groups with professionals, parents and adolescents with CP, we will determine possible barriers and facilitators to physical activity and active lifestyle which will help inform the design of a new program.

Presentations

Poster presentation by Stephen Noorduyn at McMaster (April 2010)

Poster presentation by Nai-Yuen Ho at McMaster

Poster presentations at NASPEM Niagara on the Lake (September 2010)

Poster presentation by Joyce Obeid at McMaster (June 2011)

Reports

Pending

Articles