Effects of home-based exercise on motor, non-motor symptoms and health-related quality of life in Parkinsonʼs disease patients

Aim: To explore the effect of home-based exercise on motor symptoms (MS), non-motor symptoms (NMS), and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in Parkinsonʼs disease (PD) patients. Methods: This study was a randomized control trial with a convenience sample of 98 PD patients. Data were collected at baseline and interventions after 4 and 8 weeks. The exercise group was instructed to perform 150 min/week of exercise at home; the control group maintained their regular lifestyle. Questionnaires measured MS, NMS, and HRQOL. We also compare compliance and non-compliance subgroups of the exercise group. The generalized estimating equation (GEE) was used to determine the exercise effect of 120 and 150 min per week after testing for exercise times was at six time points (90–140 min). Results: The exercise (n = 49) and control groups (n = 49) were homogeneous except for disease stage at baseline. Significant differences were found for depression, HRQOL, motor ability, activity of daily living, and fatigue (p <.000) between the exercise and control groups, and also between the compliance and non-compliance subgroups (p <.05). The GEE revealed that exercising 150 min/week significantly improved HRQOL, depression, motor ability, ADL, fatigue, and sleep quality (p <.05), though not anxiety, and exercising 120 min/week was also effective. Conclusions: This home-based exercise was effective in improving MS, NMS, and HRQOL. We recommend PD patients to exercise 30–50 min at least three times a week, or 10–15 min per session daily, to accumulate 120–150 min per week.