Project Description

Challenge

When children with cerebral palsy (CP) become teenagers, their physical fitness decreases. This decrease in physical fitness is common due to a combination of factors. Unfortunately, it may also lead to increased social isolation, which in turn impacts well-being/ quality of life.

Project Summary

The use of exercise video games (termed exergames) provides a novel approach to engaging youth with CP in physical exercise and social interaction with their peers. Research has shown that up to 75% of youth aged 11 to 17 who participate in online gaming became good friends with someone they met through a game.

With that said, the team developed an exergame called Liberi. Liberi was geared for children aged 10 to 16 with Cerebral Palsy who walk with a walker to determine whether this would improve cardiovascular fitness and health-related quality of life. Each participant had a stationary bike connected to a computer. They pedalled the bike to move their avatars in the games on the screen. They directed them with a handheld game controller, while simultaneously wearing headsets to communicate with other players in the game. Each youth’s heart rate is incorporated into the game to drive elevations in the therapeutic range as a means of building up their aerobic fitness.

Result

Eight youth participated in a six-week program, where they cycled a minimum of three times a week for 30 minutes each time. A prospective case series study showed there was an improvement in the youths’ cardiovascular fitness and health-related quality of life at the end of the six weeks. The ultimate goal of the project is to accelerate the field of virtual reality as a rehabilitation treatment option for children with disabilities, specifically those with CP.

Team

Investigators

Dr. Darcy Fehlings, University of Toronto
Dr. Nicholas Graham, Queen’s University
Dr. Virginia Wright, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Dr. Shannon Knights, University of Toronto

Partners

Bill Johnson, Ideas for Independent Living

Subsequent Cycle II Initiatives

Combining Games and Exercise for Kids with Cerebral Palsy and FASD