Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nutritional problems are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP), yet the relationship between nutritional status and the severity of CP is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To describe the nutritional status and characteristics of children with CP, and to explore the relationship between severity of CP and nutritional status in children. METHODS: This multicentre cross-sectional study included children with CP in China. Weight and height were measured and converted to z-scores. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS), Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA), social life ability, and blood indicators were tested. RESULTS: All 1,151 participants were given oral-feeding and 50.8% of them demonstrated undernutrition. Compared with those in GMFCS or EDACS levels I-III, the odds of moderate and severe undernutrition were 2.6 and 8.9 times higher in GMFCS levels IV and V, and 4.3 and 12.6 times higher in EDACS levels IV and V, respectively. Except for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, no significant differences were found in blood indicators among normal, undernourished and overnourished groups. CONCLUSION: Degrees of undernutrition in children with CP are correlated with the severity of eating and drinking dysfunction and with gross motor impairment. Blood indicators may not reflect nutritional status in children with CP.