title: Training effects of a 12-week walking program on Parkinson disease patients and community-dwelling older adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Introducing evidence-based exercise guidelines of Parkinson's disease (PD) into clinical practice and community settings has been highlighted.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study tested the feasibility and compared the weekly effects of a 12-week walking training program on PD patients and community-dwelling seniors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective quasi-experimental design was used. PD patients in Hoehn and Yahr Stage I through III (PG) and community-dwelling adults older than 65 were recruited (CG).
  
  
  METHODS
  In the outpatient department of a hospital, the information of personal data, coordination test, and walking ability of participants were collected first. They then participated in a 36-session, 12-week treadmill walking training program.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Weekly data of step length and velocity in PG and CG were collected. The walking training program achieved significant velocity (χ² = 126.38, p < 0.001) and step length (χ² = 27.27, p = 0.001) improvements in PG. Differences in improvement between PG and CG in terms of velocity (χ² = 7.089, df = 1, p = 0.008) and step length (χ² = 7.718, df = 1, p = 0.005) were also identified.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The applicability of this 12-week walking program both for PD patients and community-dwelling older adults was identified. Conducting the economic evaluation and neurology studies of the 12-week walking program and test the effects of five-week walking program are suggested.
authors.affiliation: Chi-Shan Hospital, Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: C Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: F I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: I Ju
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D020127:Recovery of Function; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D016138:Walking