Children with cerebral palsy do not achieve healthy physical activity levels

Aim This study compared daily activity energy expenditure (AEE) in children with cerebral palsy with a control group and investigated whether the children achieved healthy levels of physical activity. Methods We enrolled eight children with bilateral cerebral palsy, from eight to 10 years of age, and a group of controls matched for age and gender. For three days, physical activity was simultaneously measured by accelerometers and self‐reports using a diary. The daily AEE results were compared between groups and methods. The number of children that achieved healthy physical activity levels in each group was explored. Results Children with cerebral palsy had significantly lower daily AEE, as measured by accelerometers, than the controls, and they did not achieve the healthy moderate to heavy physical activity level defined in the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations. Self‐reports using the diaries resulted in an overestimation of physical activity compared with the ankle accelerometer measurements in both groups. Conclusion Our investigation of physical activity in children with cerebral palsy and controls using accelerometers and a diary found low levels of daily AEE and physical activity, and these results were most prominent in the group with cerebral palsy. The diaries overestimated physical activity in both groups.