Quantifying physical activity in early Parkinson disease using a commercial activity monitor

Abstract Introduction Physical inactivity in Parkinson disease (PD) has an impact on motor and non-motor symptoms of the disease. It is unclear whether this decline in physical activity occurs early in the disease, in addition to any decline due to aging, and whether commercial activity monitors can be used to self-monitor physical activity levels in this population. Objective To compare the quantity and intensity of physical activity (PA), as measured by commercial activity monitors, in people with mild PD and healthy older adults (HOA). A secondary objective was to assess adherence and user experience with wearing the activity monitoring device. Methods An observational descriptive study design examined PA levels over a 14-day period using commercially-available activity monitors (Fitbit Charge HR). Results Individuals with PD (n = 30) and HOA (n = 30) both demonstrated high adherence with wear time (PD = 13.8 [0.5] days, HOA = 13.9 [0.4] days, p = 0.55). People with PD took fewer steps per day than HOA (PD = 6416.9 (2795.5), HOA = 11441.3 (3932.1), p  Conclusions People with mild PD demonstrated reduced quantity and intensity of PA compared to HOA. Both the PD and the HOA groups had good adherence wearing a commercial activity monitor that provided feedback regarding activity levels.