Functional Development in Children with Cerebral Palsy in Uganda: Population-Based Longitudinal Cohort Study
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Date
2022
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Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology
Abstract
To follow the functional development of a population-based cohort of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in rural Uganda and compare their development with the developmental trajectories of children from high-income countries (HIC).Eighty-one children (33 females, 48 males) aged 2 to 17 years (mean 8y 6mo, SD 4y 6mo) with CP were initially assessed in 2015 and then 4 years later using the 66-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66), Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory, Ugandan version (PEDI-UG), and functional classification systems. We calculated actual and reference scores (level of deviation from the developmental trajectories in HIC). A Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for statistical analyses.Children and young people with CP in Uganda exhibited no differences in scores between the first and second assessments for the GMFM-66 and PEDI-UG mobility skills, whereas they exhibited increased PEDI-UG social function (p<0.001) and self-care skills scores (p<0.001). Reference scores were more negative at the second assessment than at the first for the GMFM-66 (p=0.002) and PEDI-UG mobility (p=0.036) but not for PEDI-UG self-care. The increased difference in reference scores over the 4 years was primarily driven by younger children (2–5y) and children with milder impairments.The increased difference in reference scores between assessments suggests that children with CP in Uganda develop motor skills at a slower rate than peers in HIC. Limited access to health care and rehabilitation likely contributed to the lower scores and slower rate of development.
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Andrews, C., Namaganda, L., Eliasson, A. C., Kakooza‐Mwesige, A., & Forssberg, H. (2022). Functional development in children with cerebral palsy in Uganda: population‐based longitudinal cohort study. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 64(1), 70-79.https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.14996