title: Energy Expenditure in Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy: Comparison of the SenseWear Armband and Indirect Calorimetry.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Inactivity and overweight are major health concerns in children and adolescents with disabilities. Methods for the assessment of activity and energy expenditure may be affected negatively by the underlying disability, especially when motor function is impaired. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the SenseWear Armband in adolescents with cerebral palsy and hemiparesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten volunteers (age: 13.4 ± 1.6 years) were equipped with SenseWear Armbands on the hemiparetic and nonhemiparetic side of the body. Energy expenditure was measured at rest and during treadmill exercise (speed range: 0.85 to 2.35 m/s). Indirect calorimetry served as independent reference method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean error was between -0.6 and 0.8 kcal/min and there were no significant differences between SenseWear and indirect calorimetry at any speed. Differences between body sides in expenditure (mean: -0.2 to 0.0 kcal/min) and step count (mean: -3.4 to 9.7 steps/min) were not significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The validity of the SenseWear Armband does not appear to be negatively affected by cerebral palsy during laboratory treadmill exercise. Future field studies are necessary to assess the validity and practicability energy expenditure and physical activity in children and adolescents with physical disabilities.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biochemistry, German Sport University, Cologne, Germany, and the Dept of Kinesiology, The Pensylvania State University, University Park, PA.
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koehler
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abel
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wallmann-Sperlich
authors.forename: Annika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dreuscher
authors.forename: Volker
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Anneken
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002153:Calorimetry, Indirect / Q000379:methods*; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000534:rehabilitation; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D050177:Overweight; D010291:Paresis / Q000534:rehabilitation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012146:Rest; D014838:Volunteers; D014937:Work