Step Up to PD: A Community-based Walking Program for People With Parkinson's Disease
St. Louis University
Summary
This study will investigate the feasibility of a 6-month community walking program for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and their care partners in greater Saint Louis, Missouri region. The walking program will consist of weekly, organized walking groups at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Participants in the program will use Nordic walking poles during the walks. The walking group(s) will meet once per week and will be supervised by walking group leaders from Saint Louis University. Participants will be given a smart watch to wear that will help step counts will be tracked in real-time. The program is designed to get people with Parkinson's disease out of their homes, cultivate a culture of connection with others with Parkinson's disease, and to be collectively accountable for a common goal toward increasing their physical and social engagement in their communities.
Eligibility
- Age range
- 30–85 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * 30-85 years old * Neurologist-diagnosed Parkinson's disease * Able to walk independently with or without a walking aid (e.g., cane, walker) * Willing to participate in study for at least 6 months Exclusion Criteria: * Health diagnosis that would limit exercise participation (e.g., heart problems, uncontrolled blood pressure, exercise-induced asthma). * Additional neurologic disease or injury beyond Parkinson's disease. * Evidence of significant cognitive impairment. This will be determined by completing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment * Participants with poor walking…
Interventions
- BehavioralCommunity Walking Program
This is a group, community walking program at local parks using Nordic walking poles. Participants will be encouraged to walk briskly but safely for 60 minutes one time per week with the ultimate goal of using this community walking program to drive behavioral change (increased physical and social engagement in their communities) throughout the week.
Location
- Integrated Health and Movement Science Laboratory, Saint Louis UniversitySt Louis, Missouri