The use of ehealth to promote physical activity in people living with Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

People living with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are less active than healthy individuals. Ehealth is an emerging concept in healthcare which presents opportunities to promote physical activity (PA) in people with PD. The aim of this systematic review was to explore the effectiveness of ehealth in the promotion of PA in people living with PD.

METHODS:

Suitable articles were searched for using EMBASE, PsychInfo, Web of Science and OVID Medline databases using a combination of keywords and medical subject headings. Articles were included if they described an ehealth intervention designed to promote PA in people living with PD. Two reviewers screened studies for suitability and extracted data. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias 2 tool and the Downs and Black risk of bias checklist. Due to the heterogeneity of studies, a narrative synthesis of study interventions and results was completed rather than a quantitative analysis.

RESULTS:

1449 articles were screened. Four studies met the eligibility criteria which included 652 participants. Web and mobile applications were used to design the PA interventions. PA levels were measured using self-reported questionnaires, Fitbits, activity monitors and accelerometers. Three of the studies reported improvements in aspects of PA. However, this was not consistently reported in all study participants. No adverse effects, a high level of enjoyment and a relatively low attrition rate (∼12.5%) were reported.

CONCLUSION:

Ehealth is a safe and feasible intervention to promote PA in this population. It is unclear whether ehealth is effective at promoting PA in people with PD.