Levels and Patterns of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Elderly People With Mild to Moderate Parkinson Disease

Background Decreased movement ability, one of the hallmarks of Parkinson disease (PD), may lead to inadequate physical activity (PA) and excessive time spent in sedentary behaviors—2 factors associated with an elevated risk for lifestyle-related diseases, poor management of PD, and premature death. To identify the extent to which people with PD are physically active, a comprehensive characterization of PA in this population is needed. Objective The study objective was to describe levels and patterns of PA and sedentary behaviors in elderly people with PD. Design This cross-sectional study involved a free-living setting and 53 men and 42 women (mean age=73.4 years) with mild to moderate idiopathic PD. Methods Time spent in PA and sedentary behaviors was assessed for 1 week with accelerometers. Results Mean daily step counts were 4,765; participants spent 589 minutes in sedentary behaviors, 141 minutes in low-intensity activities, 30 minutes in moderate-intensity lifestyle activities, and 16 minutes in moderate- to vigorous-intensity ambulatory activities. No differences were found between weekdays and weekend days. Patterns were characterized by a rise in total PA in the morning, peaking between 10 am and 3 pm, and a gradual decline toward the late evening. The proportion achieving 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity PA per week was 27%, and 16% achieved 7,000 or more steps per day. Limitations Nonrandomized selection of participants may limit the generalizability of the results. Conclusions Physical activity levels were generally low, in terms of both total volume and intensity, with only minor variations over the course of a day or between days. These results emphasize the need to develop strategies to increase PA and reduce time spent in sedentary behaviors in elderly people with mild to moderate PD.