Living an active life with Parkinson’s disease

Project Details

Regular physical activity is vital for wellbeing, providing a wide range of recognised health and social benefits. Staying active is particularly challenging for people with disabling chronic health conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Over 65,000 Australian have PD, a common neurological disorder causing progressive difficulty with walking and everyday activities, often leading to reduced quality of life. New knowledge is needed to enable people with PD to stay physically active.

The aim of this study is to examine and understand physical activity behaviours of Australians living with PD. A large scale nationwide survey will investigate physical activity levels and knowledge and perception of activity recommendations. A wide range of factors potentially associated with activity levels will be explored, such as level of disability, type of movement symptoms, self efficacy, and symptoms such as depression, fatigue or apathy. Specific issues that form barriers or enablers to regular activity will also be identified. Focus groups will explore how people with PD view physical activity and what factors make it easier or more difficult to stay active. The outcomes will provide new knowledge to enable health professionals to develop tailored physical activity programs to better meet the needs of people with PD.

Researchers

A/Prof Jenny McGinley

Funding

Australian Unity Foundation

Research Group

Neurological rehabilitation



Faculty Research Themes

Neuroscience

School Research Themes

Neuroscience & Mental Health, Practice and service improvement, Recovery and Rehabilitation Across the Lifespan



Key Contact

For further information about this research, please contact the research group leader.

Department / Centre

Physiotherapy

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