Barriers to physical activity and associated falls risk in Parkinson's
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the barriers to physical activity and associated falls risk in people with Parkinson’s
IRAS ID
200719
Contact name
Katherine Baker
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Northumbria at Newcastle
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This study aims to explore barriers to physical activity for people with Parkinson’s and adults who fall and to understand the link between physical activity and falls. Falls are a significant problem for many people with Parkinson’s and occur more frequently than in the general population. People with Parkinson’s tend not to achieve recommended levels of physical activity and are on average less active than people of the same age without Parkinson’s.
There is a relationship between physical activity and falls but this is complex and further study is needed to understand it better. People with long term conditions are encouraged to adopt healthy behaviours such as maintaining or improving physical activity levels but this is difficult to achieve and therefore requires support from health care professionals who understand the unique circumstances for each individual.
The study will start by collecting information about availability of community based exercise and physical activity opportunities for older adults and assessment of their potential suitability for people with Parkinson’s. This will provide information on the availability and suitability of exercise opportunities. We will explore uptake of these opportunities in the later stages of the research.
The next phase will use detailed monitoring of activity and falls using body worn monitors and cameras in a group of people with Parkinson’s and a group of people of the same age without Parkinson’s. This equipment provides information about the type, amount and location of activity in a person’s own environment. This information alongside interviews with each participant will be used to understand the issues which promote or reduce physical activity as well as giving a detailed account of the circumstances leading up to falls. By comparing people with and without Parkinson’s we can better understand generic issues which influence activity as well as those specific to the condition.
REC name
North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/NE/0296
Date of REC Opinion
4 Nov 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion