Development of the Early Activity Scale for Endurance for children with cerebral palsy.
OBJECTIVE
The Early Activity Scale for Endurance (EASE) was developed as a clinically feasible measure of endurance for physical activity in young children with cerebral palsy (CP). Validity and reliability were evaluated.


METHODS
Participants included 414 children with CP and 106 without CP. Parents completed the EASE, an 11-item self-report measure. For construct validity, EASE scores were compared by Gross Motor Function Classification System levels (0 assigned for children without CP), age, and gender. In subgroups, convergent validity with the 6-minute walk test and test-retest reliability with a second EASE were evaluated.


RESULTS
EASE scores differed significantly by Gross Motor Function Classification System, but not by age or gender. The EASE correlated moderately (rs = 0.57) with the 6-minute walk test. Test-retest reliability was high, intraclass correlation (2,1) = 0.95.


CONCLUSIONS
The EASE has acceptable psychometrics for use in practice and research to estimate endurance for physical activity in young children with CP.
Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. westcs@uw.edu
Sarah
S
Westcott McCoy
Allison
A
Yocum
Doreen J
DJ
Bartlett
Jessica
J
Mendoza
Lynn
L
Jeffries
Lisa
L
Chiarello
Robert J
RJ
Palisano
D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D010807:Physical Endurance / Q000502:physiology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires