Relationship Between Walk Tests and Parental Reports of Walking Abilities in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Chong J, Mackey AH, Broadbent E, Stott NS. Relationship between walk tests and parental reports of walking abilities in children with cerebral palsy.ObjectivesTo test the strength of association between 2 clinic-based measures of walking ability, the 1-minute walk test (1MWT) and the six-minute walk test (6MWT), and the parental report of usual walking performance, measured by the ABILOCO-Kids logit score, in children with cerebral palsy (CP).DesignObservational study.SettingTertiary level outpatient clinics.ParticipantsChildren and youth with CP (N=60; 32 boys, 28 girls; mean age, 11.2y [range, 5–18y]), Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level I to IV.InterventionsNot applicable.Main Outcome MeasuresThe 10-item ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire, the 1MWT, and the 6MWT.ResultsABILOCO-Kids logit scores were significantly correlated with the 1MWT (ρ=.70, P<.01) and the 6MWT (ρ=.70, P<.01) but not with age or sex. Linear models revealed a possibly significant difference in the strength of the relationship of the ABILOCO-Kids logit score with walking distance, depending on GMFCS level (P=.06 1MWT; P=.14 6MWT). The strongest relationship was observed at GMFCS level II, where ABILOCO-Kids score predicted 33% of variance in 1MWT (P=.003) and 31% of 6MWT (P=.003). The weakest relationship was at GMFCS level I, where ABILOCO-Kids score predicted only 5% of the variance in 1MWT (P=.33) and 16% of the variance in 6MWT (P=.08).ConclusionsParental perceptions of their child's walking ability in the community correlate with clinic-based walking tests in ambulatory children with CP, providing evidence of convergent validity for the 1MWT and 6MWT. However, parents report a much wider range of walking abilities in children who function at a high level (GMFCS I) than is reflected by their walk test results.