Objective: To investigate experiences of people with PD in using digital resources for home-based dance participation during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Dance is associated with improvements in motor and nonmotor outcomes in people with PD[1].  COVID-19 prompted the transition from in-person to remote classes, delivered through digital media including videoconferencing platforms and pre-recorded sessions. It is important to understand how people with PD engage with these digital resources, whether beneficial effects may be obtained through remote participation, and potential therapeutic mechanisms[2].

Method: An international online survey was conducted from June to November 2020, to explore how people with PD accessed and used home-based dance programs. The survey was co-developed by researchers and dance program providers, with input from people with PD and physiotherapists.

Results: Responses were collected from 276 individuals who were either currently using or interested in home-based dance programs. The majority of users had previously attended in-person and most participants were engaging with digital classes at least once per week. Subjective benefits were reported by 94.9% of participants, including both sensorimotor and non-motor outcomes. Factors associated with greater benefits included frequency of practice, use of combined resources (live and pre-recorded), and engaging in imagery within dance. Positive aspects of digital participation included convenience and flexibility, while negative aspects included reductions in social interaction, support, and routine. There was clear interest among participants in continuing with home-based practice alongside in-person classes in the future. Respondents not currently using digital programs reported the main reasons as being lack of knowledge and poor motivation. Analysis of open comments from participants is ongoing.

Conclusion: People with PD are able to access and use digital dance classes, and home-based participation may provide some of the benefits previously reported from in-person classes. Digital programs for home-based dance and other activities to improve wellbeing in people with PD are likely to become increasingly important even beyond COVID-19, and the present findings provide preliminary evidence that such programs are feasible. The findings are relevant to ongoing development of digital resources and further research into the outcomes of home-based dance.

References: [1] Bek, J., Arakaki, A. I., Lawrence, A., Sullivan, M., Ganapathy, G. & Poliakoff, E. (2020). Dance and Parkinson’s: A review and exploration of the role of cognitive representations of action. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 109, 16-28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.12.023 [2] Sharp, K. & Hewitt, J. (2014). Dance as an intervention for people with Parkinson’s disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 47, 445–456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.09.009

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/experiences-of-home-based-dance-participation-in-people-with-parkinsons/