Are Mobile Persons With Parkinson Disease Necessarily More Active?

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Movement Science
• Rehabilitation

Background:

• Maintaining walking activity is crucial for individuals with Parkinson disease (PD) to mitigate functional decline.
• The precise role of walking activity in enabling home and community mobility for PD patients remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between objectively measured walking activity and different domains of home and community mobility in persons with PD.
• To determine if walking activity influences mobility within the neighborhood versus beyond.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of baseline data from 69 participants in a randomized controlled PD trial.
• Utilized the Life-Space Assessment (LSA) to measure mobility extent, frequency, and independence across five levels.
• Employed accelerometers to quantify daily walking steps over seven days.

Main Results:

• Walking activity significantly correlated with mobility within the neighborhood (Levels 1-3) but not beyond (Levels 4-5) or overall.
• Higher daily step counts were associated with greater mobility in Levels 1, 2, and 3 of the LSA.
• Active participants showed significantly greater Level 1-3 mobility scores compared to sedentary individuals.

Conclusions:

• Walking activity is a key determinant of localized mobility (home and neighborhood) in Parkinson disease.
• The summed score for mobility within the neighborhood (Levels 1-3) may serve as a more sensitive indicator of walking activity's impact than the total LSA score.