The 24-hour physical activities in adults with cerebral palsy and their adherence to the 24-hour movement guideline.

Abstract

Objective: To describe 24-hour physical activities (sleep and physical activity) in adults with cerebral palsy (CP), explore potential influencing factors and compare 24-hour physical activities with controls.

Design: Cross-sectional, observational internet study involving adults with CP and a convenience sample of adults without CP.

Setting: Individuals residing in the Netherlands Participants: 110 adults with CP (median age 42, range 28-77 years; 64 (58%) ambulant; 40% male) and 89 adult controls (median age 43, range 18-78 years; 29% male).

Main outcome measures: Sleep quantity and quality measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, physical activity measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire- Short Form, and health status using the 5-level EQ-5D.

Results: Most recurrent sleep problems for adults with CP included falling asleep, waking up, needing the toilet, having nightmares, and experiencing pain during the night. Sleep quality was significantly worse for adults with CP compared to controls. 64% of adults with CP met the physical activity guidelines. Total physical activity was similar between adults with CP who are ambulatory and controls. 44% of adults with CP, compared to 51% controls, met both sleep and physical activity guidelines. No factors influencing the 24-hour activities were found for level of severity, age, sex, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression.

Conclusions: Given the prevalence of worse sleep quality and modest adherence to the 24-hour movement guideline, this study emphasizes the importance for clinicians to assess problems in physical activities during clinical encounters with adults with CP.