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Students' Attitudes, Beliefs And Perceptions Surrounding 2slgbtqia + Health Education And Inclusiveness In Canadian Physiotherapy Programs, Codie A Primeau, Holly T Philpott, Kyle Vader, Janelle Unger, Christina Y Le, Trevor B Birmingham, Joy C Macdermid

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Patients who identify as 2SLGBTQIA + report negative experiences with physiotherapy. The objectives were to evaluate student attitudes, beliefs and perceptions related to 2SLGBTQIA + health education and working with individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQIA + in entry-level physiotherapy programs in Canada and to evaluate physiotherapy program inclusiveness towards 2SLGBTQIA + persons.

METHODS: We completed a nationwide, cross-sectional survey of physiotherapy students from Canadian institutions. We recruited students via email and social media from August-December 2021. Frequency results are presented with percentages. Logistic regression models (odds ratios [OR], 95%CI) were used to evaluate associations between demographics and training hours …

Knowledge, Behaviours, And Training Related To 2slgbtqia+ Health Education Amongst Entry-Level Physiotherapy Students In Canada: Results Of A Nationwide, Cross-Sectional Survey, Codie A Primeau, Holly T Philpott, Kyle Vader, Janelle Unger, Christina Y Le, Trevor B Birmingham, Joy C Macdermid

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ report worse health outcomes than heterosexual/cisgender counterparts, in part due to poor experiences with healthcare professionals. This may stem from inadequate 2SLGBTQIA+ health and inclusiveness training in health professional student education. The purpose of the study was to evaluate knowledge, behaviours, and training related to 2SLGBTQIA+ health education and inclusiveness for entry-level physiotherapy students in Canada.

METHODS: We conducted a nationwide, cross-sectional survey with physiotherapy students from accredited Canadian physiotherapy programs. We administered the survey through Qualtrics and recruited students through targeted recruitment emails and social media posts on Twitter and Instagram between August …

Prevalence And Risk Factors Of Falls In Adults 1 Year After Total Hip Arthroplasty For Osteoarthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study, Susan W. Hunter, Pavlos Bobos, Lyndsay Somerville, James Howard, Edward M Vasarhelyi, Brent Lanting

Physical Therapy Publications

Total hip arthroplasty is very successful in alleviating the pain from osteoarthritis. However, deficits in lower limb strength, gait, and balance after surgery has identified this group at risk of falls. Considering the high number of people annually receiving a total hip arthroplasty, further elaboration of factors associated with falls is needed to refine fall prevention guidelines. The objective was to examine the prevalence and circumstances of falling and the risk factors associated with falling in older adults in the first year after total hip arthroplasty surgery. This was a cross-sectional study involving 108 individuals (age of 72.4 ± 6.5 …

Quantifying Balance Control After Spinal Cord Injury: Reliability And Validity Of The Mini-Bestest, Katherine Chan, Janelle Unger, Jae Woung Lee, Gillian Johnston, Marissa Constand, Kei Masani, Kristin E Musselman

Physical Therapy Publications

Context/Objective: Incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) causes deficits in balance control. The Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (mini-BESTest) is a comprehensive measure; however, further testing of its psychometric properties among the iSCI population is needed. We evaluated the mini-BESTest’s test-retest reliability, and concurrent and convergent validity among individuals living with iSCI for more than one year.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Rehabilitation hospital.

Participants: Twenty-one individuals with chronic motor iSCI (14 females, mean age 56.8 ± 14.0 years).

Interventions: None.

Outcome Measures: Participants completed the mini-BESTest at two sessions spaced two weeks apart. At the second session, participants …

Effect Of Learning To Use A Mobility Aid On Gait And Cognitive Demands In People With Mild To Moderate Alzheimer's Disease: Part I - Cane, Susan W. Hunter, Alison Divine, Humberto Omana, Walter Wittich, Keith D Hill, Andrew M Johnson, Jeffrey D Holmes

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: People with Alzheimer's disease (AD) exhibit balance and walking impairments that increase falls risk. Prescription of a mobility aid is done to improve stability, yet also requires increased cognitive resources. Single-point canes require unique motor sequencing for safe use. The effect of learning to use a single-point cane has not been evaluated in people with AD.

OBJECTIVES: In people with AD and healthy adult controls: 1) examine changes in gait while using a cane under various walking conditions; and 2) determine the cognitive and gait costs associated with concurrent cane walking while multi-tasking.

METHODS: Seventeen participants with AD (age …

Validity Of The Early Activity Scale For Endurance And The 6-Minute Walk Test For Children With Cerebral Palsy., Alyssa Laforme Fiss, Lynn Jeffries, Allison Yocum, Sarah Westcott Mccoy, On Track Study Team

Physical Therapy Publications

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe Early Activity Scale for Endurance (EASE) scores and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distances of children with cerebral palsy (CP) by functional ability level, sex, and age and to examine the convergent validity of the 2 tests.

METHODS: A total of 708 participants with CP, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I to V, completed the EASE, and 376 of the study participants (3-12years), GMFCS levels I to III, completed the 6MWT.

RESULTS: Children with CP vary in EASE scores and 6MWT distances based on GMFCS level and, to a lesser extent, age. The …

Longitudinal Trajectories And Reference Centiles For The Impact Of Health Conditions On Daily Activities Of Children With Cerebral Palsy., Doreen J Bartlett, Jan Willem Gorter, Lynn M Jeffries, Lisa Avery, Steven E Hanna, On Track Study Team

Physical Therapy Publications

AIM: First, to describe the impact of health conditions on daily activities over time in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to create age-specific reference centiles. Second, to determine the amount of change typical over a 1-year period, across Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels.

METHOD: A prospective, cohort design, with five assessments over 2 years, involved 708 children with a confirmed diagnosis of CP participating in the On Track Study (396 males, 312 females; mean age 6y [SD 2y 7mo]; range 18mo-12y at first assessment; 32.1% in GMFCS level I, 22.7% in GMFCS level II, 11.2% in GMFCS …

Developmental Trajectories And Reference Percentiles For The 6-Minute Walk Test For Children With Cerebral Palsy., Alyssa Laforme Fiss, Lynn Jeffries, Kristie Bjornson, Lisa Avery, Steven Hanna, Sarah Westcott Mccoy

Physical Therapy Publications

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to document longitudinal developmental trajectories in 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distances and to develop age-specific reference percentiles for children across different Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels.

METHODS: A TOTAL OF: 456 children with cerebral palsy ages 3 to 12 years of, GMFCS levels I to III participated. Children's motor function was classified on the GMFCS, and children completed the 6MWT 2 to 5 times in 2 years.

RESULTS: Longitudinal developmental trajectories support that 6MWT distances increase with age followed by a tapering, as children approach their functional limit relative to their …

Reliability, Validity, And Agreement Of The Short-Form Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale In People With Lower Extremity Amputations., Katherine Fuller, Humberto Adolfo Omaña Moreno, Courtney Frengopoulos, Michael W Payne, Ricardo Viana, Susan W. Hunter

Physical Therapy Publications

BACKGROUND: Clinicians use the Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale to understand balance confidence. A short-form Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale, was developed using the six most difficult tasks from the original Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale; however, short-form the short-form scale psychometrics and agreement with the original scale have yet to be explored in people with lower extremity amputations.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative and absolute reliability, construct validity, and agreement of the short-form Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale.

STUDY DESIGN: Test-retest with a 2-week interval.

METHODS: Analysis for relative reliability and internal consistency was intraclass correlation coefficient and Cronbach's

RESULTS: The short-form Activities-specific …

Interrelationships Of Functional Status And Health Conditions In Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Descriptive Study., Doreen Bartlett, Emily Dyszuk, Barbara Galuppi, Jan Willem Gorter

Physical Therapy Publications

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship among the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), the Manual Ability Classification System (MACS), and the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to determine the average number and effect of health conditions.

METHODS: Participants were 671 children with CP aged 2 to 12 years from Canada and the United States. Cross-tabulation of functional classifications and averages were computed for the number and impact of health conditions and comparisons among groups.

RESULTS: A total of 78 of the 125 possible classification combinations were recorded. Most frequent were GMFCS I, MACS …

Understanding Participation Of Children With Cerebral Palsy In Family And Recreational Activities., Mohammed S Alghamdi, Lisa A Chiarello, Robert J Palisano, Sarah W Mccoy

Physical Therapy Publications

AIMS: The primary aim of this study was to determine the effect of age, sex, gross motor, manual ability, and communication functions on the frequency and enjoyment of children's participation in family and recreational activities. The secondary aim was to determine the relationships between motor and communication functions and participation.

METHODS: Participants were 694 children, 1.5-12 years old, with cerebral palsy (CP) and their parents across the US and Canada. Parents rated children's frequency and enjoyment of participation using the Child Engagement in Daily Life measure. Parents and therapists identified children's level of function using Gross Motor Function Classification System …

The Prevalence, Location, Severity, And Daily Impact Of Pain Reported By Youth And Young Adults With Cerebral Palsy., Laura Brunton, Sarah Hall, Adrienne Passingham, Julie Wulff, Rich Delitala

Physical Therapy Publications

PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence, location, severity, and daily impact of pain reported by youth and young adults with cerebral palsy (CP). A secondary aim was to identify any significant associations between the constructs of interest.

METHOD: An observational study of 112 participants with CP to understand their experience of pain through a questionnaire. Participants were 56 males and 55 females with a mean age of 18y 9mo (SD 4y 5mo).

RESULTS: Pain was reported by 75% of males and 89% of females. Both severity and impact of pain were significantly greater in females. In addition, severity and impact of …

The Bodily Experience Of Cerebral Palsy: A Journey To Self-Awareness., Laura K Brunton, Doreen J Bartlett

Physical Therapy Publications

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to describe the lived bodily experience of cerebral palsy (CP).

METHOD: This was a descriptive phenomenological inquiry. Ten participants were interviewed about their bodily experiences of living with CP. Interviews were semi-structured around pain and fatigue. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify themes.

RESULTS: The bodily experience of CP centered on issues of fatigue and pain as a feeling of muscle soreness. An overwhelming amount of the discussion on fatigue emphasized the fatigue that occurs with walking and prolonged activity. Self-awareness of the individuals' own bodies and adapting activity to continue to …

Validity And Reliability Of Two Abbreviated Versions Of The Gross Motor Function Measure., Laura K Brunton, Doreen J Bartlett

Physical Therapy Publications

Aim: The “gold standard” to measure gross motor functioning for children with cerebral palsy (CP) is the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66). The purpose of this study was to estimate the validity and reliability of two abbreviated versions (item set (GMFM-66 IS) and basal and ceiling (GMFM-66 B&C) approaches) of the GMFM-66.

Methods: Twenty-six children with CP aged 2 to 6 years across all GMFCS levels participated. At session one, both abbreviated versions were administered by two independent raters, followed by the full GMFM-66. In the subsequent session, only the abbreviated versions were administered, by the same raters. Concurrent validity, …

Description Of Exercise Participation Of Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy Across A 4-Year Period., Laura K Brunton, Doreen J Bartlett

Physical Therapy Publications

Purpose: The primary purposes were to describe: 1) the types of exercise participation of adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP), 2) the weekly duration of stretching, strengthening, and cardiovascular exercise, and 3) how the level of activity compares to national health guidelines.

Methods: Participants were 126 males and 104 females (14.7, SD =1.7 years) who reported on the physical activities in the previous week using a questionnaire designed for this study. Analyses comprised frequency counts and proportions, stacked bar graphs and 2-way ANOVAs of exercise participation by GMFCS and gender.

Results: There was a significant interaction of GMFCS level and gender …