| Abstract | The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) level on habitual physical activity in children with cerebral palsy and to determine whether physical activity has a significant impact on body composition in this population. Height calculated from knee height, weight, and percent body fat calculated from skinfolds was collected from 19 participants, and each individual wore an accelerometer for one week. Participants ranged in age from 7 to 19 years old, and all five GMFCS levels were represented. Significance was found between light physical activity (LPA) and GMFCS (p=0.049). No significant correlation was seen between sedentary activity (SED) or LPA and body mass index (BMI) percentile (rSED=0.39, pSED=0.10; rLPA=-0.27, pLPA=0.26) or percent body fat (rSED=0.35, pSED=0.14; rLPA=-0.28, pLPA-0.25). The results from this study support both hypotheses and indicate that youth with CP participate in much less physical activity than their peers despite the lack of significant correlation found between physical activity and body composition. |
