Date Presented 04/03/2025
Latino people with Parkinson disease and their care partners described individual and community factors that affect their perspectives and experiences in physical activity. Results show a need for occupation-focused and culturally relevant programs.
Primary Author and Speaker: Laura Prieto
Additional Authors and Speakers: Emily Neils, Jessica Diedrich
Contributing Authors: Carlos Cuebas Garcia, Luis Columna, Anne Mortensen, Kristen A. Pickett
PURPOSE: Physical activity (PA) participation can help manage Parkinson disease (PD) symptoms and enhance performance in daily occupations (Foster et al., 2014). However, Damron et al. (2014) reported that only 35% of Latino people with PD (PwP) and 0% of care partners (CPs) believed PA was useful in managing PD. The purpose of this study is to describe the perspectives and experiences of Latine PwP and CPs with PA and how it relates to their self-identified occupational problems.
DESIGN: This descriptive qualitative study recruited ten participants (5 PwP and 5 CPs) from Parkinson-specific organizations, a Latino-focused senior center, and via word of mouth. Participants lived in the Midwestern United States, had PD or cared for someone with PD, and identified as Latino.
METHODS: Participants completed a demographic questionnaire, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (Law et al.,1990), and a semi-structured interview guided by the RE-AIM framework on perspectives and experiences in PA (Glasgow et al., 2019). Data were collected via Zoom, telephone, or in-person, as well as in English or Spanish, based on participants’ preference.
RESULTS: Preliminary reflexive thematic analysis demonstrates that PA participation often does not align with participants’ occupational priorities, however, participants indicated interest in a future program doing so. Major barriers to PA participation included cost, knowledge, and lack of programming tailored to the Latino community.
CONCLUSION: Barriers to accessing PA programs may limit how Latino PwP and CPs see the relevance of PA to their PD management. Further investigation on the integration of occupational priorities into PA programming and the role of occupational therapists is needed.
IMPACT STATEMENT: These findings will help inform the application of occupational science to the development of future PA interventions for Latino PwP and their CPs.
References
Foster, E. R., Bedekar, M., & Tickle-Degnen, L. (2014). Systematic review of the effectiveness of occupational therapy-related interventions for people with Parkinson’s disease. Am J Occup Ther, 68(1), 39–49. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.008706
Damron, L., Litvan, I., Bayram, E., Berk, S., Siddiqi, B., & Shill, H. (2021). Hispanic Perspectives on Parkinson’s Disease Care and Research Participation. J Alzheimers Dis, 81(2), 809–819. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-210231
Law, M., Baptiste, S., Mccoll, M., Opzoomer, A., Polatajko, H., & Pollock, N. (1990). The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure: An Outcome Measure for Occupational Therapy. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57(2), 82–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841749005700207
Glasgow, R. E., Harden, S. M., Gaglio, B., Rabin, B., Smith, M. L., Porter, G. C.,…Estabrooks, P. A. (2019). RE-AIM Planning and Evaluation Framework: Adapting to New Science and Practice With a 20-Year Review. Front Public Health, 7, 64. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00064
