Abstract:

Objective To systematically review the health benefits of different physical activities for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.
Methods Combined with MeSH terms and free words, randomized controlled trials regarding health and functional outcomes of physical activity intervention for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy published up to December, 2023 in databases of Web of Science, PubMed, EBSCO, Cochrane and CNKI were retrieved and systematically reviewed.
Results Ten randomized controlled trials were included, involving 402 participants (aged three to 24 years), with Physiotherapy Evidence Database Scale scores of six to eight, from Australia, the United States, Brazil and Netherlands, mainly in the fields of rehabilitation medicine, neuroscience, disability research and physiotherapy, with publication dates concentrated between 2013 and 2020. The physical activities included three types: fitness-related (physical fitness, skill-related fitness), motor skill-related (gross motor skills, fine motor skills) and adaptive physical activity-related (mobility skills, recreational types); 20 to 60 minutes a time, one to five times a week, for seven to 26 weeks; the intensity was moderate to high. Intervention settings involved community and home, schools and rehabilitation institutions. The guidance and support models included sports rehabilitation, adaptive physical activity, and a combined model of sports rehabilitation and adaptive physical activity. The health benefits were reflected in physical activity-related health behaviors, physical function, activities and participation, and quality of life, such as improving the level of physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior; enhancing muscle strength, improving cardiopulmonary function, cardiovascular function, body mass and aerobic capacity, increasing gait speed, joint mobility, balance function and muscle endurance; improving motor function (mobility, movement coordination ability, balance and postural control ability, gait function); improving self-care, promoting participation in family, school and social activities, increasing social performance behaviors, and improving mental health (self-confidence, emotions, self-worth, self-esteem).
Conclusion This study reviewed the health benefits of different physical activities for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy. There are three kinds of major physical activities: fitness-related, motor skill-related and adaptive physical activity-related. Physical fitness-related activities help to improve gait function, increase walking speed, enhance muscle strength, improve cardiovascular function, optimize body mass index; skill fitness-related activities can improve balance function. Gross motor skill-related activities can improve postural control ability and muscle endurance; fine motor skill-related activities can enhance the use of fine hands. Adaptive ball-related activities help to increase physical activity levels, increase leisure activity time, improve aerobic capacity, promote family activity participation and social activity participation; adaptive leisure-related activities can improve the quality of life and well-being, improve self-care, enhance self-worth, and increase life satisfaction.

Key words: cerebral palsy, children, adolescents, physical activity, health benefits, systematic review