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

NCT ID: NCT06859528

Last Updated: 2025-05-14

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 40 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-04-01
• Study Completion Date: 2027-09-30

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Parkinson Disease; Parkinson Disease, Idiopathic

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

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.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Community Walking Program

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

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.

Interventions

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.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 30 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 85 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

St. Louis University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Jason Longhurst

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

Integrated Health and Movement Science Laboratory, Saint Louis University

St Louis, Missouri, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Central Contacts

Jason K Longhurst, DPT, PHD

Role: CONTACT

jason.longhurst@health.slu.edu

314-977-8533

Other Identifiers

34235

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id