"Promotion of a Physically Active Lifestyle in Large Populations of Children and Teenagers With Cerebral Palsy in the Middle East"

There is increasing evidence that physical activity during childhood and adolescence has an important impact on health and behavior outcomes. Lack of physical activity is currently a major concern for the total population and especially for children and adolescents. People with disabilities are at risk for the same health problems as the general population. Due to their disabilities, they have a higher risk for developing secondary conditions that may further affect their health and quality of life.The goals of this project are to develop and evaluate new approaches of treatment for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and to develop low cost tests for evaluating motor functions in natural environments.

The overall aim is to raise awareness of, and promote, a physically active lifestyle for Middle East teenagers with disabilities due to CP by means of a collaborative Jordanian-Israeli-Palestinian-Moroccan applied research project. Specific objectives include:

1. Evaluation of baseline levels of physical activity in large populations of children and teenagers with CP in the communities of the participating countries by long-term monitoring by accelerometers.
2. Conducting a randomized clinical trial to compare the efficacy of an "experimental" physical training program with a treadmill training program in two groups. The experimental training program is based on results of recent motor control studies, as well as the "motor learning" approach to facilitate transfer and retention of learned walking activities.
3. Disability Advocacy through dissemination of activity focus programs, raising awareness, making use of new technologies and enhancing and developing the skills and training of personnel working with populations with CP.
4. Continuing the expansion of collaborative research efforts pertaining to children and teenagers with physical disabilities between Arab countries and Israel through sharing of skills and knowledge by exchange visits, meetings and seminars and joint training, pediatric physiotherapists and physical educators.