Exercise intensity of active video gaming in cerebral palsy: Hip- versus wrist-worn accelerometer data

Objective The aim of this study was to compare exercise intensity of active video games (AVGs) between hip- and wrist-worn accelerometer data in cerebral palsy (CP). Methods Twenty children and adolescents (9.35 +/- 3.71 years) with CP performed two exercise sessions, completing a standardized series of AVGs. Exercise intensity was collected, while one accelerometer was fitted to wrist and hip in separate, counterbalanced sessions. Results Accelerometer counts per minute and cut-points determined were significantly different between the wrist- and hip-worn outputs (p < .001). Metabolic equivalents (METs) of performing AVGs exceeded the three METs moderate intensity threshold in wrist-worn (3.12 +/- 0.86) accelerometer and hip-worn data tend to underestimate intensity (1.16 +/- 0.08). Conclusions Previous studies showed METs required to perform AVGs were related to moderate intensity (3-6 METs) in CP with mild deficits. Wrist-worn accelerometer, exceeding 3 METs, seem to have higher accuracy in measuring exercise intensity of AVGs than hip-worn.