Leisure Activity Preferences of Children and Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy in Iran and the Quality of Their Participation

To investigate whether Iranian children and adolescents with Cerebral Palsy (CP) participate in their preferred leisure activities.

A group of children and adolescents (n=152; 59.2% male; aged 7-17 years; Mean±SD of age was 10.93±3.46 years old) diagnosed with CP (39.5% hemiplegic; 28.9% quadriplegic; 31.6% diplegic) were selected to complete the children’s assessment of participation and the enjoyment (CAPE) and Preference for Activities of Children (PAC) questionnaires.

Recreational and social activities were the most preferred (PAC mean score=2.13±0.40; 2.08±0.40, respectively), and active-physical activities were the least preferred (PAC mean score=1.60±0.46). Preferences were strongly correlated with leisure participation (P<0.001), although there were still discrepancies between them. A discrepancy score was introduced, and skill-based activities demonstrated the highest discrepancy score (discrepancy mean score=3.39±2.97).

Greater preferences for leisure activities are linked with a higher frequency of participation but, that does not necessarily mean that children and adolescents with CP always participate in their most preferred leisure activities. They sometimes cannot participate in their preferred leisure activities and sometimes participate in activities that they do not like. Occupational therapists are encouraged to consider these findings to design more effective plans to achieve improved participation outcomes.