The need for mapping personal goals to exercise dosage in community-based exercise programs for people with Parkinson’s disease

Abstract

<b><i>Purpose</i></b>: Community-based exercise can support long-term management of Parkinson's disease, although it is not known if personal goals are met in these programs. The objectives of this study were to: (1) examine the goals of community based exercise programs from the participant and instructor perspectives; (2) establish the extent to which these programs meet self-described exercise outcomes; and (3) explore participant and instructor perspectives on barriers to meeting exercise expectations. <b><i>Materials and Methods</i></b>: This study explores the experiences of people with Parkinson's disease participating in a structured exercise program at six community sites. A mixed-methods approach was used, including participant and instructor interviews, assessment of exercise intensity, and mapping of exercise dosage to participant goals. Twenty-four exercise participants provided interview, quality of life, and exercise intensity data. <b><i>Results</i></b>: Twenty-one participants exercised for primary management of their Parkinson's disease. None met the exercise dosage necessary to meet this primary objective, although 60% met exercise dosage required to prevent disuse deconditioning. Participants and instructors did not describe similar goals for the community-based exercise program. <b><i>Conclusions</i></b>: Community-based exercise programs could be optimized by better aligning participant goals and exercise intensity.