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The aim of this study was to investigate the participation of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in activities outside school and to compare their participation with a large representative sample of children. A population-based survey was conducted of children with CP born in Victoria, Australia in 1994 and 1995. Of 219 living children identified, 114 (52.1%) returned completed surveys. The children (65 males, 49 females) were aged between 10 years 9 months and 12 years 9 months (mean age 11y 9mo, SD 6mo). Thirty-eight per cent had hemiplegia, 23% diplegia, 4% triplegia, 34% quadriplegia, and 1% was of unknown topography. Distribution according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) was 22.8% Level I, 36% Level II, 10.5% Level III, 8.8% Level IV, and 21.9% Level V. Distribution according to the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) was: 19.3% Level I, 38.6% Level II, 14.0% Level III, 8.8% Level IV, and 19.3% Level V. Participation was measured using the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment. Participation in selected sport, cultural, and quiet leisure activities was compared with population-based data for 11-year-olds from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Children with CP undertook a median of 26.5 activities (interquartile range 10) in 4 months which were commonly informal rather than formal. Intensity of participation was low. Diversity and intensity of participation was similar for children in each level of the MACS and the GMFCS, except for participants in Level V. More children with CP participated in organized sports ( p<0.001) compared with other Australian children, although with lower frequency ( p<0.001). Participation diversity and level of intensity of Australian children with CP were similar to those reported in a Canadian study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite research supporting its validity in predicting falls, simple reaction time (SRT) is not typically included in a clinical falls assessment battery because there is no standardised, clinically feasible testing protocol with published cutoff scores. This study aimed to determine whether SRT scores obtained using a clinically viable protocol could discriminate between multiple and single fallers. SRT scores were obtained from 147 participants (88 women and 59 men) over the age of 65 years (mean 80.1 years; SD 8.4 years) who had reported one or more falls in the previous 12 months. Forty-eight single and 99 multiple fallers were recruited from the subacute public hospital sector. SRT scores significantly discriminated between faller groups (Wilk's λ = 0.89, p = 0.05), with SRT score being the dominating predictor between groups. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve showed good diagnostic accuracy with the area under curve = 0.78. A cutoff score of 394.5 ms provided the best balance between sensitivity and specificity. Once data were dichotomized as being above or below this cutoff value, a binary regression analysis revealed an odds ratio of 7.18 (95% CI 3.3-15.6), with a positive predictive value of 84.5%. The clinically feasible lower limb SRT testing protocol described provided good discrimination between single and multiple fallers. This test may be useful in clinical practice to help identify older people at greater risk of future falls.