Active Strides: Intensive rehabilitation for children with moderate to severe cerebral palsy to improve gross motor function, habitual physical activity and participation in physically active leisure
Principal Advisor: Dr Leanne Sakzewski
Email: l.sakzewski1@uq.edu.au
Research group page: Queensland Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre
Organisational unit: Child Health Research Centre
This single-blind multi-site randomised controlled trial (RCT) will investigate whether school-age children with moderate to severe CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System GMFCS III and IV) who are randomised to an eight-week ACTIVE STRIDES-CP intervention, compared with care as usual (CAU), have improved gross motor function immediately post intervention.
Secondary outcomes will be changes in Habitual Physical Activity ([HPA], less time spent sedentary, increased light and/or moderate to vigorous physical activity MVPA), cardiorespiratory fitness (Physiological Cost index HR/PCI), walking speed and distance, frequency/involvement of community participation, daily activities and mobility performance, attainment of gross motor goals, healthcare use and quality of life immediately post intervention and with retention of outcomes 6 months post baseline.
Active Strides-CP comprises a package of rehabilitation of Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) cycling, adapted cycling, partial body weight support treadmill training (PBWSTT), overground gait training and goal directed training with a total dose of direct therapy of 32 hours delivered over an eight-week period.
Within this large multi-site trial, there will be scope to develop a research program around the following top areas:
- Participant and intervention (e.g. dose and content) related factors associated with clinically significant improvements in gross motor function, habitual physical activity and participation in physically active leisure
- Fidelity of delivery of a manualized ACTIVE-STRIDES CP program across multiple sites and organisations.
- The relationship between capacity, participation, fitness and habitual physical activity in children with cerebral palsy.