Functional Physical Rehabilitation and Self-Assessment of Physical Activity in Parkinson's Disease

BACKGROUND Physical activity (PA) is essential for individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) to maintain functional independence and quality of life. However, difficulties in accurately measuring PA complicate the identification of effective and beneficial interventions. Understanding the discrepancies between self-reported and objectively measured PA is critical for clinical practice. This study compared self-reported and objectively measured PA among people with PD, considering their participation in functional physical rehabilitation (FPR). MATERIAL AND METHODS The International Physical Activity Questionnaire and Actigraph GT3X+ were used to measure PA. Patients with PD (n=47) in stages II or III of the disease according to the Hoehn and Yahr scale, aged 64.37±7.12 years, with disease duration of 6.29±4.02 years were divided into 2 groups: participating (Group A) and not participating (Group B) in FPR. The FPR program combined motor symptom-targeted therapy with task-oriented training to improve functional independence and quality of life. RESULTS Comparing self-reported weekly PA with the objective showed statistically significant differences (P<0.05) in both groups - the self-reported PA was 8.61% higher in Group A and 56.70% higher in Group B. In Group A, declared PA was higher than the objective in all intensity zones: by 19.50% in high, by 10.52% in moderate, and by 7.35% in low. In Group B, declared PA was higher than the objective by 250% in high-intensity, by 90.66% in moderate-intensity, and by 48.32% in low-intensity. CONCLUSIONS We found significant differences between self-reported and objectively measured PA in people with PD, based on their participation in FPR. Participation in FPR seems to improve the accuracy of PA self-assessment, demonstrating the importance of objective PA measurement in clinical practice.