Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

"As children with cerebral palsy (CP) become teenagers, they experience a cycle of deconditioning resulting in a deterioration in physical function. Children who have CP and are walking with a mobility aid often need to transition to using a wheelchair as they become adolescents. There are many reasons for this loss of function, but poor physical fitness and muscle weakness are significant contributors. In addition, youth with CP become increasingly socially isolated, which, as well as declining physical abilities, negatively impacts their quality of life. Virtual world ""exergames"", games that require physical activity to play, hold great promise in engaging youth with CP in physical exercise, and because they can be played over a network from home, can increase social interaction with peers. In this project, we will investigate the design, development and efficacy of multiplayer exergames as a tool for improving the physical fitness of youth with CP while reducing their social isolation. Using the EQUIS Lab's exergame development tools, we will construct a persistent world game in which players use a recumbent bicycle to control an avatar. Each player requires a Windows PC attached to a high-speed network to facilitate collaborative play and social interaction. The design of the exergame will be participatory, directly including the youth with CP in the process. In addition to the collaborative design and testing sessions, two in-home experiments will be conducted, each over a two month period. 20 youth (10 with CP and 10 peers) will evaluate the exergame's impact on physical fitness and gross motor function in youth with CP. In this project, six interdisciplinary researchers from Queen's University and Holland Bloorview Hospital will collaborate on health-related research to train 15 highly qualifed personnel in developing and evaluating exergames for youth with cerebral palsy."