# Understanding personal preferences to promote exercise adherence in Parkinson’s disease

## TL;DR

People with Parkinson's disease prefer exercises like walking and biking, which are not often studied, and matching preferences may improve adherence.

## Contribution

Identifies a mismatch between preferred and studied exercises in Parkinson’s disease and highlights the importance of personal preferences for adherence.

## Key findings

- Preferred exercises align with current practices but differ from those in prior studies.
- Walking, biking, swimming, boxing, and tennis are top preferred but under-researched exercises.
- Considering personal preferences may enhance long-term exercise adherence in Parkinson’s disease.

## Abstract

•PwP’s preferred exercise types align with their currently practiced exercise types.•PwP’s preferred exercise types differ from exercise types used in prior studies.•Walking, biking, swimming, boxing, and tennis are preferred but have been relatively little studied.•Adherence to exercise is likely higher when considering personal preferences.

PwP’s preferred exercise types align with their currently practiced exercise types.

PwP’s preferred exercise types differ from exercise types used in prior studies.

Walking, biking, swimming, boxing, and tennis are preferred but have been relatively little studied.

Adherence to exercise is likely higher when considering personal preferences.

Exercise is a recognized treatment for people with Parkinson’s Disease (PwP), but personal exercise preferences are rarely considered in exercise intervention studies. Yet these are critical for understanding motivation and to ascertain long-term exercise adherence in PwP. This study compared preferred exercise types among PwP with exercise types investigated in prior research.

672 PwP participated in an online survey, answering questions about currently practiced and preferred exercise types. Besides, a brief review was performed, evaluating exercise types deployed in prior studies. The preferred exercise types of PwP were subsequently compared to exercise types used in prior research.

PwP mainly preferred the same exercises that they were currently practicing. These preferences did not necessarily align with exercise types reported in prior studies. The top 5 highly preferred sport categories but relatively little studied were walking, biking, swimming, boxing, and tennis.

Future intervention studies may benefit from considering personal preferences to both strengthen and understand exercise adherence.