Examining Loneliness in People With Parkinson Disease Participating in Community-based Exercise.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Gerontology
• Rehabilitation Science

Background:

• Parkinson disease (PwPD) affects motor function and quality of life.
• Community-based exercise programs are vital for PwPD management.
• Loneliness is a growing concern in aging populations and chronic disease management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of loneliness in people with Parkinson disease (PwPD) participating in community exercise classes.
• To examine the relationship between loneliness and demographic factors, functional independence, mobility, and quality of life (QOL) in PwPD.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional analysis of 231 PwPD in community exercise programs.
• Utilized UCLA 3-Item Loneliness Scale (UTILS), Schwab & England Scale, Timed Up & Go, 10 Meter Walk Test, 30 Second Sit-to-Stand, and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8.
• Defined "lonely" as UTILS scores > 4.

Main Results:

• 32.9% of PwPD (n=76) reported loneliness.
• Significant differences in sex distribution, functional independence, mobility (Timed Up & Go), and QOL were found between lonely and non-lonely groups.
• Loneliness, functional independence, and age explained 55.8% of the variance in QOL.

Conclusions:

• Loneliness is prevalent in PwPD, even those engaged in exercise communities.
• Loneliness is associated with reduced functional independence, mobility, and QOL in PwPD.
• Rehabilitation clinicians and instructors should consider screening PwPD for loneliness to inform care plans.