Objective: To determine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of group adapted tango class for individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) taught through telehealth technology.

Background: Group tango classes for people with PD have led to improvements in balance, gait, disease severity, activity participation, and interest in continuing with physical activity. However, long commutes and access to skilled instructors are barriers to participation for many people with PD. Telehealth is a potential means of overcoming these limitations, but it is unclear if this is a feasible delivery approach for a dance-based intervention in this population.

Methods: Twenty-six people with mild to moderate PD were assigned to the tango class nearest to their home. The control group met at a university and was taught with the instructor on-site, while the experimental group met at a community facility and was taught remotely by the same instructor using virtual meeting software. Twenty people completed the study and were included in analysis (mean age: 68.49 ± 8.45; 55% female). Both groups (n=10 each) followed the same 2x/wk, 12-wk curriculum, based on the Adapted Tango framework. All participants were assessed off anti-PD medication (i.e. at least 12 hours since last dose), before and after the intervention. Participant retention, attendance, and adverse events during class were used as metrics of feasibility; balance and gait were used to evaluate preliminary efficacy. The Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest) was administered and scored by a blinded rater to assess balance, and a GAITRite walkway was used to assess parameters of gait.

Results: Participant retention was equal between groups and no adverse events occurred during either set of classes. Attendance was 84% in the group with on-site instruction and 87% in the group with remote instruction. There was a significant improvement over time on the BESTest (p<0.001), but no significant group x time interactions. There were no significant changes in forward gait velocity, stride length, or cadence in either group.

Conclusions: With no difference in metrics of feasibility, and balance improvement similar to a class with on-site instruction, it appears future work is warranted to develop telehealth group dance classes for people with PD and to investigate efficacy on a larger scale.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/feasibility-and-preliminary-efficacy-of-a-telehealth-approach-to-group-tango-instruction-for-people-with-parkinsons-disease/