PHYSICAL-TRAINING OF SCHOOL-CHILDREN WITH SPASTIC CEREBRAL-PALSY - EFFECTS ON DAILY ACTIVITY, FAT MASS AND FITNESS

Effects of two 9-month sports programmes (four or two sessions per wee k) on level of daily physical activity (PA), fat mass (FM), and physic al fitness were assessed in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP; n = 20, 9.2 +/- 1.4 yr), randomly assigned to an experimental and cont rol group after matching. Four sessions per week tended to increase PA ratio (24-h energy expenditure/sleeping (resting) energy expenditure) after 9 months from 1.34 +/- 0.25 to 1.55 +/- 0.18 (P = 0.07; not dif ferent versus controls). FM increased continuously in the control grou p (after 9 months + 1.1 +/- 1.6 kg, P < 0.05), whereas the experimenta l groups showed no changes. Training (respectively four and two sessio ns) increased peak aerobic power 35% (P < 0.01; P < 0.05 versus contro ls) and 21% (P < 0.01; P = 0.17 versus controls). Results also suggest that training has a favourable effect on isokinetic muscle strength. No training-related effects were found on anaerobic power. It was conc luded that although aerobic training has a limited effect on PA in chi ldren with CP, it may prevent deterioration in body composition and mu scle strength. Furthermore, training has a favourable effect on peak a erobic power. (C) 1998 Lippincott-Raven Publishers.