Step Up to PD: A Community-based Walking Program for People With Parkinson's Disease

This study will investigate the feasibility of a 6-month community walking program for people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and their care partners in greater Saint Louis, Missouri region. The walking program will consist of weekly, organized walking groups at the Missouri Botanical Gardens. Participants in the program will use Nordic walking poles during the walks. The walking group(s) will meet once per week and will be supervised by walking group leaders from Saint Louis University. Participants will be given a smart watch to wear that will help step counts will be tracked in real-time. The program is designed to get people with Parkinson's disease out of their homes, cultivate a culture of connection with others with Parkinson's disease, and to be collectively accountable for a common goal toward increasing their physical and social engagement in their communities.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Parkinson Disease; Parkinson Disease, Idiopathic
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Community Walking Program

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 40
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jason K Longhurst, DPT, PHD; Phone Number: 314-977-8533; Email: jason.longhurst@health.slu.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • St. Louis, Missouri, United States, 63104
      • Recruiting
      • Integrated Health and Movement Science Laboratory, Saint Louis University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 30-85 years old
• Neurologist-diagnosed Parkinson's disease
• Able to walk independently with or without a walking aid (e.g., cane, walker)
• Willing to participate in study for at least 6 months

Exclusion Criteria:

• Health diagnosis that would limit exercise participation (e.g., heart problems, uncontrolled blood pressure, exercise-induced asthma).
• Additional neurologic disease or injury beyond Parkinson's disease.
• Evidence of significant cognitive impairment. This will be determined by completing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment
• Participants with poor walking ability (determined using the Timed Up and Go Test during initial testing).

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Intervention / Treatment

Experimental: Attend group community walking program for 60 minutes each week; Participants will participate in one, 60-minute group walk using Nordic poles at the Missouri Botanical Gardens for at least 6 months, with an optional continuation upto 12 months. Participants will be assessed before the program begins, after 6-months, and after 12 months. Falls will be prospectively collected for 6 months following completion of the program.

Behavioral: Community Walking Program; This is a group, community walking program at local parks using Nordic walking poles. Participants will be encouraged to walk briskly but safely for 60 minutes one time per week with the ultimate goal of using this community walking program to drive behavioral change (increased physical and social engagement in their communities) throughout the week.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Enrollment - Feasibility	The percentage of eligible participants that enroll in the study.	Through enrollment of all the study participants
Attendance - Feasibility	The percentage of attended walking program session across all enrolled participants.	Enrollment through the 6- and 12-month endpoints
Safety/Rate of Falls - Feasibility	The rate falls related to walking program participation.	From enrollment to both the 6 and 12 month endpoints

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Steps per Day	This outcome will be captured via wearable sensors worn through the duration of study participation.	From baseline assessment through the the end of the fall reporting period at 18 months
Balance Discordance	This is the difference between actual balance confidence (captured via the activities specific balance confidence scale) and predicted balance confidence (modeled from time to complete the Timed Up and Go Test).	From baseline assessment through the 6- and 12-month endpoints
Loneliness	Assessed with the 20 item UCLA loneliness scale in which subjects rate the degree of loneliness that they experience in daily life. The scale has a minimum score of 20 and maximum score of 80 with higher scores indicating that the individual is experience more loneliness.	From baseline assessment through the 6- and 12-month endpoints
Social Connection	Assessed with the Berkman-Syme Social Network Index, an 11-item questionnaire in which participants rate their perceived social network and isolation. The index has a minimum score of zero and maximum score of 11 with higher score indicating a larger and stronger social network.	From baseline assessment through the 6- and 12-month endpoints

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: St. Louis University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 30, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 27, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 27, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): March 5, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 14, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 12, 2025
• Last Verified: May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Physical Activity; Loneliness; Walking; Social Connectedness
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Synucleinopathies; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Movement Disorders; Parkinsonian Disorders; Basal Ganglia Diseases; Parkinson Disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: 34235

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No