Are Mobile Persons With Parkinson Disease Necessarily More Active?

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Walking activity in persons with Parkinson disease (PD) is important for preventing functional decline. The contribution of walking activity to home and community mobility in PD is poorly understood. Methods: Cross-sectional baseline data (N = 69) were analyzed from a randomized controlled PD trial. The Life-Space Assessment (LSA) quantified the extent, frequency, and independence across 5 expanding levels of home and community mobility, producing individual subscores and a total score. Two additional summed scores were used to represent mobility within (Levels 1-3) and beyond (Levels 4-5) neighborhood limits. An accelerometer measured walking activity for 7 days. Regression and correlation analyses evaluated relationships between daily steps and mobility scores.

Objective Measurement of Walking Activity Using Wearable Technologies in People with Parkinson Disease: A Systematic Review

“…The objective of the 26 studies ranged from observational (n = 18, 69.2%) [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36] to interventional studies (n = 6, 23.1%) [37][38][39][40][41][42] including pre-and post-measurements or the comparison of walking activity parameters with a control group. Two studies can be considered as proof of concept [28,43]. Six main objectives have been pursued in the included studies: 1.…”

“…Among all participants, 584 females and 679 males were included in this review. Disease severity was assessed using Hoehn and Yahr (n = 20, 76.9%) [19,20,[22][23][24][26][27][28][29][30][31][33][34][35][36][37][38]41,42,44] and MDS-UPDRS Part III (n = 18, 69.2%) [19,20,22,[24][25][26][27]29,31,32,[34][35][36][37][38][39]41,42]. If reported, disease duration ranged from 0.8 [37] to 12.5 years [30] (Table A2).…”

“…The most frequently used wearable device was the AGT3X [19][20][21][22][23][36][37][38][39][40] used in 10 studies (38.5%). StepWatch Activity Monitors (SAM) were used in seven studies (26.9%): the StepWatch (n = 3, 11.5%) [24,25,43], the StepWatch 3 (n = 3, 11.5%) [26,27,41], and the StepWatch 4 (n = 1, 3.8%) [28]. ActivPAL (n = 1, 3.8%) [29,30] and FitBit Charge HR (n = 1, 3.8%) [31,32] were both used in two studies.…”

Wearable GPS and Accelerometer Technologies for Monitoring Mobility and Physical Activity in Neurodegenerative Disorders: A Systematic Review

“…This impacts functionally, attenuates enjoyment of hobbies and activities, and ultimately can lead to safety implications associated with leaving the home unsupervised [8]. The amount of time spent outside and movement within the home represents a marker of health with associated impact on quality of life [9]. Quantification of mobility and physical activity (PA) in neurodegenerative diseases, including with disease progression, offers the opportunity to target these metrics with specific interventions that may feasibly maintain, or improve quality of life and well-being [9].…”

“…The amount of time spent outside and movement within the home represents a marker of health with associated impact on quality of life [9]. Quantification of mobility and physical activity (PA) in neurodegenerative diseases, including with disease progression, offers the opportunity to target these metrics with specific interventions that may feasibly maintain, or improve quality of life and well-being [9]. Thus, the extent of an individual's ability to travel within the world may represent a measurable biomarker, important for monitoring the effect of interventions including emergent and novel disease modifying therapies [10].…”