Predictive Relationships Between Parkinson's Disease Outcome Measures and Participation in Long-Term HIIT Exercise

Research Objectives Although evidence suggests that High-Intensity-Interval-Training (HIIT) has benefits for persons with Parkinson Disease (PwPD), limited studies have assessed the relationship between standardized motoric assessments for PwPD and exercise levels in long-term HIIT including boxing activities. We proposed an exploration of relationship trends over time Design Longitudinal Repeated Measures. Setting University Outpatient Clinic. Participants 42 adults recruited from gyms specialized in HIIT, including boxing activities. Inclusion criteria: Hoehn and Yahr stages 1-3, ≥ 18 years old, walk ≥ 10m with/without assistive device. Interventions Participants engaged in 2-3 classes/week for 6-12 months. ACSM-certified instructor taught classes including 45-60 minutes of total-body HIIT with boxing activities. Participants completed assessments every 6-8 weeks and were given activity trackers (Garmin VivoFit-3) which documented steps/sleep. Microsoft Excel (vs. 2101) and SPSS (vs. 27) were used for Pearson's correlation and longitudinal regression analysis with p = 0.05. Main Outcome Measures Motor and non-motor standardized assessments were conducted over six sessions including: PDQ-8, UPDRS, step activity, sleep, Single-Leg-Stance (SLS), gait speed, Grip Strength (GS), Five-Times-Sit-to-Stand (5xSTS), cardiovascular health, Timed-Up-and-Go-Test (TUG), Four-Square-Step-Test (4SST). Results Trends for outcomes over time indicated, Right GS increased from 78.32(+/- 20.69) to 88.58(+/- 14.87) kg, Left GS increased from 77.20(+/- 25.40) kg to 84.83(+/- 17.24) kg. 5xSTS remained stable and varied from 10.56 (+/- 2.68) sec to 9.98(+/- 3.99) sec, 5xSTS and SLS were found to be weakly correlated(r=0.189). An inverse relationship was found between 5xSTS and average daily step count (r= -0.38). A moderate inverse relationship was also found between the timed 4SST and average daily step count (r= -0.55). Conclusions Preliminary data analysis suggests a notable predictive inverse relationship between higher doses of daily activity and motor function such as balance and coordination. Results indicate that further research is warranted to identify important needed changes in prescribed exercise dosage over time. Author(s) Disclosures All listed authors named declare that there are no conflicts of interest related to this project.