title: Duration and patterns of habitual physical activity in adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) show reduced motor function and gait efficiency, and lower levels of habitual physical activity (HPA), than adolescents with typical development and children with CP. This study examined activity duration and patterns in this population in the Middle East through long-term monitoring of a large sample using accelerometers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents and young adults with bilateral CP at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels II, III, and IV, were monitored in their habitual environment for four consecutive days with ActivPAL3 monitors. Time spent in sedentary, standing, and walking activities, and frequency of walking steps and transitions, were analysed for each GMFCS level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Measurements were made on 222 participants (132 males, 90 females; mean age 16 y 9 mo SD 2y, range 13 y 4 mo-22 y). The Mann-Whitney U test demonstrated significant differences (p<0.05) between GMFCS levels, showing reduced walking and standing activity and increased sedentary duration at higher GMFCS levels (p<0.001), except for increased standing time between GMFCS levels II and III (p=0.07). Participants in educational facilities exhibited less sedentary behaviour than those who were homebound (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These descriptions of duration and frequency of active and sedentary behaviours may serve as a basis for recommendations to minimize inactivity in this population. Adolescents and young adults with CP in the Middle East demonstrate similar patterns of HPA to their peers in other regions.
authors: Department of Biomedical engineering, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be'er-Sheva, Israel.
authors: Anat
authors: A
authors: Shkedy Rabani
authors: Netta
authors: N
authors: Harries
authors: Ibtisam
authors: I
authors: Namoora
authors: Muhammed D
authors: MD
authors: Al-Jarrah
authors: Amir
authors: A
authors: Karniel
authors: Simona
authors: S
authors: Bar-Haim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016138:Walking; D055815:Young Adult