Is Physical Activity-Related Self-Efficacy Associated with Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour among Ambulatory Children with Cerebral Palsy?

Abstract

Purpose: To determine how physical activity-related self-efficacy is associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviour time among ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP). Method: Children with CP, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels I-III (N=26; aged 9-18 y), completed the task self-efficacy component of a self-efficacy scale and wore Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometers for 5 days. Correlations (Pearson and Spearman's rank-order; α=0.050) were conducted to evaluate the relationships among age, GMFCS level, self-efficacy, and both daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sedentary time. Linear regression models were used to determine the relationships among the independent variables and MVPA and sedentary time. Results: Self-efficacy was positively associated with MVPA time (r=0.428, p=0.015) and negatively correlated with sedentary time (r=-0.332, p=0.049). In our linear regression models, gross motor function (β=-0.462, p=0.006), age (β=-0.344, p=0.033), and self-efficacy (β=0.281, p=0.080) were associated with MVPA time (R2=0.508), while GMFCS level (β=0.439, p=0.003) and age (β=0.605, p < 0.001) were associated with sedentary time (R2=0.584). Conclusions: This research suggests that self-efficacy, age, and gross motor function are associated with MVPA in children with CP. Additional research is needed to confirm these findings and further explore the influence of self-efficacy on sedentary behaviour.