Keep on Keep Up for Parkinson's (KOKU4PD)

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Keep On Keep Up for people with Parkinson’s Disease(KOKU4PD)

• IRAS ID

  327959

• Contact name

  Gill Barry

• Contact email

  gill.barry@northumbria.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Northumbria University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 2 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Balance is a common problem in people with Parkinson’s (PwP), contributing to walking impairments, reduced independence, and increased falls risk. Both movement and cognition (thinking) problems play an important role in balance, and need to be considered when designing exercise programmes for PwP. Balance training alone can be effective; however, it is often considered tedious, and retention rates can be low as a result.
  A potential solution is to use digital technology to train balance, strength and fitness using a tablet device. Previous older adult research shows exercise delivered in this way is enjoyable and engaging.

  Keep on Keep Up (KOKU) is an NHS approved digital health program that has been designed to engage older people in safe and effective falls prevention exercises. KOKU starts with simple chair-based exercises (e.g. foot tapping) and progresses to incorporate both physical and thinking tasks. The program is interactive (played on a tablet), requires no specialist equipment and once downloaded, it is ready to use. In previous research, the team have worked with PwP and the app developers to adapt the KOKU program for PwP (KOKU4PD).

  In this study, PwP will be asked to use the KOKU4PD program at home over 4 weeks and will be given a computer tablet for the duration of the study if they do not have their own device. Participants will be guided through a series of exercises tailored for PwP. Participants will be assessed before and after using KOKU4PD to assess its effects on their walking and balance. They will also complete questionnaires about the usabilty of the KOKU program, and an interview to further explore their experience.

  The aim of the study is to determine the usability and acceptability of the KOKU4PD program.

• REC name

  London - Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  24/PR/0394

• Date of REC Opinion

  26 Apr 2024

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion