Video Dance Class and Unsupervised Physical Activity During Covid-19 Pandemic in People With Parkinson's Disease

Experimental Design: an interventional study. Search Location: Exercise Research Laboratory at the School of Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Dance, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and in the Movement Disorders Outpatient Clinic of the Hospital of Clinicals of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Participants: 60 participants from the Dance, the Nordic Walking, and the Aquatic Jogging extension projects at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, both sexes, from 50 to 80 years old, diagnosed with idiopathic PD, will be separate in three groups: Video Dance Classes, in the unsupervised physical activity, and in the control group. Interventions: video dance class, unsupervised physical activity, and a control group. The video dance class program will have a frequency of two sessions per week and a duration of 30 minutes for 12 weeks. The unsupervised physical activity receives an unsupervised home exercise program with a frequency of two sessions per week and a duration of 30 minutes for 12 weeks during the Covid-19 pandemic. The control group will be people with PD, engaged, before the Covid-19 pandemic, in the Dance, the Nordic Walk and the Aquatic Jogging extension projects at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul but did not do any type of physical activity during the Covid-19 pandemic. To evaluate the impacts of the activities during the Covid-19 pandemic, evaluations will be performed by telephone after 60 days of social distance and self-isolation. Outcomes: clinical-functional parameters and non-motor parameters. Data Analysis: Data will be described by average values and standard deviation values. The comparisons between groups will be performed using a Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) analysis, adopting a level of significance (α) of 0.05. Expected Results: Participants who have remained committed with the video dance class or with the unsupervised physical activity during the Covid-19 pandemic expected to be less affected in the analyzed outcomes, especially in Quality of Life, when compared to the control group. In addition, it is expected that the research results could help to future developments in the scientific, technological, economic, social, and environmental fields.