ActivPARK: Design, feasibility, and implementation of a national multicentre cohort study for improved understanding of physical activity in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a leading neurodegenerative health condition in Sweden and a public health concern.

Although no cure exists, functional independence and participation in society remain top priorities, and can be achieved through targeted physical activity (PA) interventions.

To date, few longitudinal cohort studies have been conducted, using PA as main outcome in therapy research, partly due to the complex nature of predicting and controlling this phenomenon.

To help address this knowledge gap, the overall purpose of the future long-term (ActivPARK) study is to enhance knowledge of the evolution of PA behavior, and how it is influenced beyond the disease characteristics using a broad explanatory model, in persons with PD from a diversity of settings in Sweden with the aim of prescribing tailored and personalized interventions to enhance functioning, health, and wellbeing throughout the disease progression and recommend potential health care pathway modifications.

We have just established an expert group, comprising researchers, healthcare professionals, and PD organisations (including persons with PD) and reached consensus on essential priority clinical therapy research questions on PA and methodological considerations.

The next phase entails performing a multicentre feasibility/pilot study, further developing and refining the research questions linked to the improved explanatory model for PA and methodology, to inform the definite larger clinical cohort study.