Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Many children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 2-3 with limited walking and physical activity (PA) ability showed marked improvement by adolescence after intensive rehabilitation, demonstrating the impact of PA in improving functioning in persons with CP. In fact, individuals with CP need more PA compared to the typically developed population to offset their more rapid decline in physical fitness as they age. However, up to 50% of adults experience a decline in physical functioning from adolescence, suggesting that individuals do not continue to engage in PA in order to maintain the effects of rehabilitation. Therefore, clinicians and policy-makers need a set of guidelines to help recommend PA interventions and community-based resources, respectively, that will promote sustained and long-term PA so individuals with CP can continue to experience the benefits of PA as they age; Interventions with a behavioural component and those that consider contextual factors such as community resources show promise. The Care Pathway on "promoting PA and reducing sedentary behaviour in individuals with CP over the life course", which will be published on the American Academy for CP and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM) website, aims to address the need for sustained PA through a set of guidelines informed by best evidence which helps clinicians and policy-makers make judgements in increasing PA in children and adults with CP. The aim of the Care Pathway is to integrate research and clinical opinion to accomplish the following goals: (1) Help clinicians make more individualized recommendations for interventions to increase PA for persons with CP by considering factors such as level of pain and ambulation (2) inform individuals with CP, their families and caregivers on the best PA intervention for their specific symptoms (3) Motivate and guide policy-makers in establishing community-based projects to make PA resources widely available.