Funding source:  National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia

Grant Type:  Project Grant

Start / End Date:  2015

Chief Investigators

Gross Motor and Brain Development: Prof Roslyn Boyd, Dr Lynne McKinlay, Ms Megan Kentish, Ms Meredith Wynter, Ms Christine Finn, Ms Rachel Jordan.

Growth, Nutrition and Physical Activity: Prof Peter Davies, Prof Roslyn Boyd, Dr Kristie Bell, Prof Richard Stevenson, Ms Camilla Davenport, Ms Stina Oftedal, Ms Kelly Weir, Ms Kath Benfer, Ms Piyapa Keawutan. 

About the study

Gross Motor and Brain Development: A long-term (5-year) study monitoring and analysing the motor development and brain structure of young children with cerebral palsy, aged from 18 months to 5 years. NHMRC Project 465128 (2007-2010).

Growth, Nutrition and Physical Activity: Investigating the influence of diet, physical activity, growth and body composition on health outcomes, participation and quality of life in young children with cerebral palsy, aged from 18 months to 5 years. NHMRC Project 569605 (2009-2013).

Summary of results

The Queensland Cerebral Palsy Child Studies are now both complete. Our sincere thanks goes to the 245 families from all over QLD who participated in these studies which ran over the last 6 years. Without your hard work and effort these studies would not have been possible!! Thanks to your help we now know a lot more about brain structure, motor development, nutrition, physical activity and growth in children with CP across the full range of abilities. These families will now be invited to return for the new PREDICT study at 8-9 years.

The Qld Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Research Centre (QCPRRC) in collaboration with the Children’s Nutrition Research Centre, University of Qld, QUT and Qld Health, has secured NHMRC funding to follow up all the children from both CP Child studies at 8‐9 years of age, in a new project, Predict CP: A Comprehensive Surveillance to Predict Outcomes for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

In this study we are aiming to investigate the relationship between brain development and physical capacity, growth, physical activity, communication, cognition, participation and educational outcomes of children who have cerebral palsy. This project will provide a comprehensive assessment of outcomes to inform the development of timely and effective interventions and predict future outcomes for children with cerebral palsy. Families from the 2006 and 2007 birth years who participated in the CP child studies have been invited to participate in the PREDICT study in a one‐off visit over 1.5 days.

Contact

Ms Christine Finn. Ph: +61 7 3069 7371 or E: christine.finn@uq.edu.au

Ms Camilla Davenport, Ph: +61 7 3069 7355 or E: camilla.davenport@uq.edu.au