Year: 2018
Type: dissertation
Abstract: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of the most widespread neurodegenerative conditions in the world. It is an\nage-related disease and mostly affects people in the later years of life. The symptoms result in a loss of fine\nmotor skills. The progressive nature of PD and its increasing prevalence have resulted in a substantial\neconomic burden to society, health care providers, individual patients and their family.\nResearch have shown that physical exercise in patients with PD is an effective method to control PDrelated\nsymptoms, reduce or limit the progress of the disease, and improve physical and psychological\nhealth. However, due to PD related conditions such as dementia, apathy, excessive daytime sleepiness,\nand sleeping problems exercise adherence is a challenging task. Since adherence to an exercise program\noften involves a behavioral change, the addition of support for this process might provide a valuable\ncontribution to adherence. Adherence to exercise programs is fundamental for achieving positive\noutcomes. Barriers for continuing regular exercise is decline in health, time constraints, and lack of\nmotivation.\nThe usage of smartphones and tablets is increasing among elderly. Various mobile apps have been\ndeveloped for older adults, but many of those are not suitable for people with PD, as they do not consider\ntheir special conditions.\nTo support physical exercise among people with PD, a touchscreen prototype that reminds and motivates\npeople with PD to exercise was designed, following guidelines and recommendations for mobile and\ntouchscreen apps for people with PD and taking their special conditions into consideration.\nThree iterations of prototypes were developed and evaluated with help from users with PD and health care\npersonnel. A heuristic evaluation based on universal design principles was conducted, and the results\nwere summarized.\nFurther research is needed to conclude if a mobile exercise app can contribute to exercise adherence for\npeople with PD but based on the response from users involved in this study, it seems possible.
Author: Kristoffer Upsahl
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Høgskolen i Oslo og Akershus
OpenAlex ID: W3163762783