Nordic walking for people with Parkinson’s

Evaluation of a programme of Nordic Walking for People with Parkinson’s focusing on the characteristics and core components needed for implementation.

What are the characteristics and core components needed to implement Nordic Walking (NW) groups for people with Parkinson’s in a community rehabilitation setting?

Dr Vicky Booth (PI), Sarah McCracken, Dr Frances Allen, and Professor Pip Logan.

The project was awarded £16K from the University of Nottingham National Rehabilitation Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences strategic funds via an open call held in March 2022. During the 4-months of this project (April-July 2022), the team have:

• Obtained School of Medicine Research Ethics Committee approval
• Completed three focus-groups (n=15 total participants [n=11 people with Parkinson’s disease; n=4 NW instructors; n=8 female])
• Completed data analysis of the focus groups using thematic analysis and the Behaviour Change Model as an implementation framework
• Involved patient and public representatives in a community engagement event to promote the project and NW for Parkinson’s disease
• Supported a patient representative with Parkinson’s disease to obtain a NW qualification
• Continued to deliver the 8-week NW programme to people with Parkinson’s disease
• Continued to collect outcome measures on the NW programme participants immediately before, after and at 6-months post-completion
• Prepared focus group publication (e.g., British Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, BJNN)

Outcomes

1. Core characteristics have been derived and categorised into an implementation framework
2. Successful patient and public involvement and engagement
3. Preparation of presentation at Parkinson’s Nurses conference (October 2022)
4. Additional training in qualitative research methods and focus groups has been undertaken by Sarah McCracken which has contributed towards her MPhil qualification
5. Preparation of a publication to a relevant academic journal

Future plans

The project team have already prepared the focus group data for publication in the BJNN (submit by 12/2022).  This work will also be written for inclusion in Sarah McCracken’s MPhil dissertation (submit by 10/2023) and a lay summary of the results will be developed (by 10/2023).  Sarah McCracken is continuing to collect follow-up outcome measures on the cohort of Parkinson’s disease participants for 6-months post NW programme (completed by 05/2023).  Finally, the project team are preparing a future grant application to the NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (submit by 10/2023) through collaborative meetings with biomechanists at the UoN (meeting 09/2022).