Affiliations: [a] Istanbul Medeniyet University, Goztepe Prof Dr Suleyman Yalcin City Hospital, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Istanbul, Turkey
| [b] Istanbul Medeniyet University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Istanbul, Turkey
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Bilinc Dogruoz Karatekin, M.D., Istanbul Medeniyet University, Egitim mahallesi Göztepe Şehir Hastanesi, Fizik Tedavi Ünitesi, 34722, Kadıköy, Istanbul, Turkey. Tel.: +90 5368308709; E-mail: bilincdogruoz@hotmail.com. ORCID: 0000-0002-0568-9498
Abstract: PURPOSE:Obesity prevalence and the relationship between obesity and motor function in children with ambulatory cerebral palsy (CP) were investigated. METHODS:This was a cross-sectional study. The obesity profile of 75 children aged 2–18 years with ambulatory CP was investigated. GMFCS levels were recorded, and BMI was calculated using height and weight data and converted into Z-scores. Age- and gender-specific growth charts were used for children and adolescents. RESULTS:The mean BMI of the participants was 17.78, with an obesity rate of 18.67% and an overweight rate of 16%. Gross motor function was found to be associated with height, weight, and BMI (p < 0.05). No relationship was found between obesity + overweight and gender and CP subtype (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION:Turkish children with CP had a higher rate of obesity compared to typically developing peers and also their counterparts in other countries. There is a need for studies to identify the causes of obesity and to develop effective intervention programs for prevention of it in children with CP.
