Are Mobile Persons With Parkinson Disease Necessarily More Active?
Jenna A Zajac, James T Cavanaugh, Teresa Baker and 11 others
PMID 34091569WHAT IT FOUND
Community mobility does not guarantee physical activity in Parkinson's disease.
Walking steps predicted home and neighborhood movement but not travel beyond the neighborhood. Sedentary individuals were less mobile at home and in the neighborhood but similar to active individuals in town. Assess local mobility separately from total life-space scores.
Key findings
01Daily walking activity was a significant contributor to mobility within neighborhood limits but not beyond the neighborhood or to overall mobility.
02Sedentary participants were significantly less mobile than active participants within neighborhood limits, but the groups had similar total life-space mobility and mobility beyond the neighborhood.
03Persons with PD who report being mobile in the community, especially beyond the neighborhood limits, may not necessarily be physically active.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences about how walking activity influences mobility over time. Walking activity explained only 12% of the variance in neighborhood mobility scores, indicating that other factors likely play a larger role. The Life-Space Assessment is a self-report measure that relies on recall and provides only an approximation of mobility excursions. The sample consisted of individuals with mild to moderate Parkinson's disease who were fairly active, so findings may not generalize to those with severe disease or extreme sedentary behavior.
Declared interests
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (Extramural). No specific conflicts of interest were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret a high total life-space score as evidence of high physical activity. The study found no significant association between daily walking steps and total life-space mobility or mobility beyond the neighborhood, meaning patients may travel far distances using motorized transportation without walking.