Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neuromotor disorder with no curative treatment, but consistent exercise has been shown to reduce symptom severity, improve physical function and increase quality of life.
PURPOSE: To investigate how a new community-based group exercise program for people with PD impacts physical function and related measures after 12 weeks.
METHODS: Participants were 32 individuals diagnosed with PD at the mild to moderate stages (Hoehn & Yahr 1 to 3). They participated in a 12-week community-based group exercise program that was embedded in an experiential learning course for undergraduate health science students. Exercise classes included both group aerobic activities and stations that wove balance, strength and mobility challenges into aerobic activities. Common equipment like free weights and exercise balls were used at the stations. Outcome measures included gait speed, six-minute walk test (6MWT), five times sit to stand (5xSTS), Mini-BEST, and three self-report measures: Parkinson Disease Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8), Activity-specific Balance Confidence (ABC), and Self-efficacy for Exercise (SEE). Data were analyzed for 31 participants who completed pre- and post-test evaluations using paired-sample t-tests (or Wilcoxon signed-rank tests when non-normal distributions occurred) with a Bonferroni correction.
RESULTS: The average adherence rate was 73%. Significant improvements were found in Gait Speed, 6MWT, 5xSTS (t > 2.8, p<.01, df = 30 for all three). Effect sizes were small (0.08 m/sec for gait speed, 37 m for 6MWT, and 0.7 sec for 5xSTS) and less than their minimum clinically important differences. No significant changes were seen for PDQ-8, SEE from paired t-tests, or for Mini-BEST or ABC from Wilcoxon signed-rank tests.
CONCLUSION: The improvements in gait speed, gait endurance, and functional lower-extremity performance are consistent with previously documented results from community-based group exercise for people with PD. While our effects were small, they suggest improvement rather than decline in lower-extremity function despite the progressive nature of PD. Future studies should investigate additional methods to improve balance, explore the durability of the observed functional improvements, and apply more rigorous randomized controlled designs.
Recommended Citation
Dauplaise, Jake and States, Rebecca A.
(2026)
"Community-based Group Exercise for Individuals with Parkinson’s: How Does It Help?,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 15:
Iss.
9, Article 11.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol15/iss9/11