Impact of Physical Activity Levels on Parkinson's Disease Motor and Nonmotor Symptoms and Quality of Life in Older Adults With Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) affects motor and nonmotor functions, impacting PD-related quality of life. The role of physical activity (PA) in the management of PD symptoms is increasingly recognized.

Objective: To examine the effects of PA levels on PD motor and nonmotor symptoms, and health-related quality of life, using the Fox Insight study's data set. It also examines PA's moderating effects on the age-PD motor function relationship.

Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, 1,288 participants with PD (55.8% men, age: 64.54 ± 9.99) from the Fox Insight study were divided into four groups (N = 322 each) based on their PA level as measured by the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE). PD motor and nonmotor symptoms were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-2 (UPDRS-2), Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8 (PDQ-8), Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, Penn Parkinson's Daily Activities Questionnaire-15, and EuroQol-Visual Analog Scale. Statistical analyses included Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson's correlation, and multiple linear regression, with alpha set at .05.

Results: Higher PASE correlated with better UPDRS-2, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-8, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, Penn Parkinson's Daily Activities Questionnaire-15, and EuroQol-Visual Analog Scale. The study found significant influences of PASE on UPDRS-2, age, Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form, body mass index, and EQ-VAS (R2adj = .174, F = 53.998, p < .001). Notably, PASE moderated the relationship between age and UPDRS-2, suggesting a pivoting role in slowing PD-related symptom progression with age (R2adj = .145, F = 73.47, p < .001).

Conclusions: Increased PA levels are associated with better outcomes in PD motor and nonmotor symptoms, improved PD-related quality of life, and a slowed progression of PD symptoms. Conclusions: Promoting higher levels of PA in older adults with PD effectively manages motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD. In addition, early and consistent PA is the key to moderating the progression of PD symptoms.