Measuring exertion during caregiving of children and young adults with cerebral palsy who require assistance for mobility and self-care.
Our purpose was to compare objective and subjective measures of energy exertion during caregiving tasks. Participants were primary caregivers (N = 19) of children and young adults (aged 3 -22 years) with cerebral palsy (CP) who require assistance for mobility and self-care (67% classified in level V on the Gross Motor Function Classification System). Measures of exertion were collected during two caregiving tasks: (1) transfers and (2) dressing. Objective measures included volume of oxygen (V02), heart rate (HR), and the subjective measure was a rating of perceived exertion (Borg RPE). Controlling for baseline status, perceived exertion correlated with VO2 (0.43, p < .01) and HR (0.29, p < .01) during the tasks. Caregivers with high baseline HR and VO2, had high Borg RPE scores following a task. Correlations were found between HR and VO2 during caregiving tasks (0.63, p < .01). Patterns of association with caregiver and child characteristics were similar for VO2 and Borg RPE. Subjective measures of exertion appear to capture the strain of caregiving. Understanding a caregiver's perception of exertion can guide therapists in assessing the need for equipment, pharmacological, or respite interventions.
UW Hospitals & Clinics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
Marcella
M
Andrews
Daniel M
DM
Bolt
Michael
M
Braun
Ruth E
RE
Benedict
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017028:Caregivers; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D055805:Moving and Lifting Patients; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D005082:Physical Exertion; D055815:Young Adult