Author(s): Cindy H Sit, Catherine M Capio, Ester Cerin and Thomas L McKenzie
Abstract
Home and school are important settings where children can accrue health promoting physical activity (PA). Little
is known about the PA levels and associated environmental characteristics at home and school in children with
cerebral palsy (CP). An observational tool - Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Children’s Health Evaluation System
(BEACHES) - offers potential for providing information.
Objective: To validate BEACHES against Actigraph accelerometer and to document PA of children with CP at
a special residential school facility for children with physical disabilities.
Methods: Five children with CP (2 girls, 3 boys; aged 9.82 ± 2.39 years) in Level I of the Gross Motor Function
Classification System (GMFCS) participated. PA monitoring was conducted once a week during four consecutive
weeks at morning recess at school and during after school hours at the children’s residence. Estimates of time
spent being sedentary and being active were derived from the Actigraph and compared to estimates obtained with
BEACHES.
Results: Children’s PA observed using BEACHES was comparable to the Actigraph estimations. In general,
children were more active at recess than after school and the physical locations assessed by BEACHES were
associated with objectively measured PA time.
Conclusion: This pilot study indicates that BEACHES appears to be a suitable measure of PA for children with
CP in both home and school settings. Additional study with a larger and more diverse sample is recommended to
verify the results.
