Reproducibility of two functional field exercise tests for children with cerebral palsy who self‐propel a manual wheelchair

Aim The aim of this study was to examine the test–retest reproducibility (reliability and agreement) of the 6‐minute push test (6 MPT ) and the one‐stroke push test (1 SPT ), and construct validity of the 6 MPT in children with cerebral palsy ( CP ) who self‐propel a manual wheelchair. Method Seventy‐three children and adolescents with spastic CP (51 males, 22 females; mean age 11y 9mo, SD 3y 7mo, range 4–18y; three unilateral, 70 bilateral) using a manual wheelchair for at least part of the day were recruited from and tested in different rehabilitation settings in the N etherlands and B razil. Participants were classified as G ross M otor F unction C lassification S ystem ( GMFCS ) level II ( n =7), III ( n =36), or IV ( n =30). Results Intraclass correlation coefficients ( ICC s) for distance covered on the 6 MPT (mean distance 266.5m, SD 120.6m) and the 1 SPT (mean distance 4.5m, SD 2.7m) showed excellent reliability ( ICC =0.97) for both tests. There was a significant correlation between the 6 MPT and the 1 SPT ( r =0.73; p <0.001), and between the 6 MPT and heart rate during the 6 MPT ( r =0.29, p =0.014). Interpretation These results indicate that both the 6 MPT and the 1 SPT test are reproducible functional tests for young people with CP who self‐propel a wheelchair. Agreement for the 6 MPT seems relatively large for children who perform short distances. Construct validity is supported for the 6 MPT in children with CP .