Children with cerebral palsy who are classified at Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) Levels 1 and 2 may benefit from interventions which incorporate virtual reality (VR) systems to improve balance and gross motor skills. While VR systems that are specifically designed with certain rehabilitation goals in mind are available, off-the-shelf active video games (AVGs), such as Nintendo's Wii and WiiFit, are less expensive, more accessible, and provide a greater variety of games for players. To examine the use of AVGs, a pilot non-randomized controlled trail was held. One group of five children received one hour of VR training for five days, followed by a six week AVG program at home, which was supervised online by a physical therapist. The other group consisted of six children, who only completed the six week AVG program at home. The Gross Motor Function Measure Challenge Module (GMFM-CM) and Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) were used to evaluate changes. The study found no statistically significant changes between the two groups. The group that only received the six week AVG program at home showed a statistically and clinically significant improvement in GMFM-CM scores, but the group who also received the VR training for five days demonstrated a statistically and clinically significant decrease in 6MWT distance. However, after two months post-intervention, all 6MWT scores returned to baseline. Authors:  Levac D, McCormick A, Levin MF, Brien M, Mills R, Miller E, Sveistrup H.  Phys Occup Ther Pediatr. 2017 Apr 4:1-14. doi: 10.1080/01942638.2017.1287810. [Epub ahead of print]

One of the most pressing health problems for today's children and youth in North America is unhealthy weight. Physical activity and sport participation has been recommended as a treatment and intervention for prevention and maintenance of healthy weight by the World Health Organization. Exercise has also been linked to children having a better understanding of recommended nutrition guidelines and healthy practices; however, researchers had not established a direct link between active participation and body mass index (BMI). In this paper, the authors analyzed the questions: (1) "is there a meaningful association between organized physical activity and BMI?" and, (2) "is there evidence for the direction of this relationship?" After analysis with three lagged mixed effects models of 2278 children from a six year prospective open cohort study, results concluded that the relationship between BMI and physical activity is bidirectional and relatively weak within the tested population. Parent overweight status, family socioeconomic status, birth weight, nutrition, and genetics are other potential influential factors. It was also noted that body mass may also influence participation through its effects on confidence, motivation, or performance. The authors concluded that BMI does not limit participation in organized sport activities and engaging in a sport can lead to many benefits to a child's health and development. Authors: Cairney J , Veldhuizen S. Prev Med Rep. 2017 Apr 13;6:336-338. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2017.04.005. eCollection 2017 Jun.