Nutritional aspects of year-long wheelchair dance intervention in bedridden individuals with severe athetospastic cerebral palsy rated to GMFCS level V

BACKGROUND: As the oxygen pulse (O2P), the oxygen uptake divided by the heart rate, is regarded to be a relative measure of stroke volume and correlates to peak oxygen uptake, measuring O2P showed the good training effects of a year-long wheelchair dance intervention on aerobic fitness in bedridden individuals with severe athetospastic cerebral palsy. However, there were few studies about influences of wheelchair dance on the nutritional states in the bedridden individuals with severe cerebral palsy. To study nutritional aspects of bedridden individuals with severe athetospastic cerebral palsy during a year-long wheelchair dance intervention. Pre-post study design. A laboratory and a community care center. Bedridden individuals with athetospastic cerebral palsy rated to Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level V (N.=6). METHODS: Serum albumin (Alb) and Blood hemoglobin (Hb) of their regular medical checkups were retrospectively available at the base line, the 6th month, and the 12th month of the intervention of wheelchair dance 6 to 15 minutes at a time, 2 days a week or more from the medical records in the community care center. The body weight was measured at the base line, the 3rd months, the 6th month, and the 12th months of the follow-up of laboratory measurements. The calorie intakes and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF) scores were also retrospectively available from the medical records in the community care center. The consumed calories during the dance intervention was estimated using the data of oxygen uptake during the intervention. RESULTS: Alb and Hb of the participants all satisfied the normal standards during the intervention period. Although MNASF showed all of the participants were nutritionally at risk. Alb. Hb and Body Weight did not significantly change during the intervention period. It was estimated that less than 3% of calories intakes were consumed during the intervention. CONCLUSIONS: While wheelchair dance may possibly increase aerobic fitness in bedridden individuals with severe athetospastic cerebral palsy rated Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level V, the nutritional states would be less affected by the intervention of wheelchair dance. Future studies with a larger sample will be warranted to prove the claim.