Study to test if home exercise apps can boost activity in kids with cerebral palsy
Researchers are launching a trial to see whether digital exercise programs can help ambulatory children with cerebral palsy become more physically active at home. The findings could shape how healthcare systems and edtech companies design interventions for disabled children—a historically underserved market segment with significant clinical and commercial potential.
Originaltitel: Feasibility testing of a home-based exercise intervention in children with cerebral palsy who are ambulant—a study protocol of the HOME-EX study
Children gain increased health and well-being by participating in physical activity. Children with cerebral palsy who are ambulatory (CP-A) are known to be less physically active than children without physical disabilities, making them an important group of children to support in becoming more physically active. Assistive technologies, such as eHealth, may support physical exercise in children with CP-A. The overall aim of this study protocol will be to describe the procedures of the HOME-EX feasibility study to develop, feasibility test, and map the conditions for future implementation of a home-based exercise intervention using an eHealth solution in children with CP-A. Methods The HOME-EX feasibility study will use a mixed methods approach with an adapted participatory design. The study is informed by “The behaviour change wheel” framework to support health related behavioural changes. The development and the feasibility testing will follow three phases: 1) development; 2) refinement; and 3) finalising, where the children will perform two six-week periods of home-based exercises using an eHealth solution with eight weeks of washout in-between. Ten children with CP-A and ten children without disabilities, aged 10–16 years, living in the southern regions of Sweden will be recruited. The feasibility of the eHealth solution, the home-based exercise intervention, and the exercise testing will be assessed throughout the study. Field notes, questioners, data from the eHealth solution and semi-structured interviews will be used to collect data. Discussion Findings from the HOME-EX study have the potential to increase knowledge about the development and feasibility of a home-based exercise intervention, supported by the eHealth solution, to promote exercise in children with CP-A. Clinical Trails Registration https://clinicaltrials.gov/expert-search?term=NCT07025694 , identifier NCT07025694.