1618 A SURVEY OF ATTITUDES TOWARDS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND ACCEPTABILITY OF REMOTE PHYSIOTHERAPY FOR PEOPLE WITH PARKINSON’S DISEASE

Abstract Introduction People who have recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) may do less physical activity than the general population because of PD symptoms or loss of confidence. We have developed a remote physiotherapy intervention for which we are running an ongoing feasibility trial. To gain a broader understanding of attitudes to physical activity and physiotherapy, we surveyed people with early PD in UK. We also sought views on use of digital technology and receiving teleconsultations with health practitioners. Method We developed a questionnaire which was distributed on paper to local Parkinson’s UK groups, and online which was distributed via Parkinson’s UK media and more broadly via social media. The online questionnaire was hosted by JISC Online Surveys. The initial filter question asked whether the respondent was diagnosed within the previous 4 years and was resident in UK. We received n valid responses online and n valid paper responses. In terms of demographics, the most frequent age category was 60-69 years, with just over half being male (53%). Respondents of diverse ethnicities were 1.7% of the total sample. Results For physical activity, the majority of participants reported a high or average level of physical activity, with only 11% reporting a low level. The majority of participants reported that regular exercise was extremely or very important for keeping well with PD. When asked about barriers to being active, the most common response was apathy (36%), followed by difficulties due to PD symptoms and feeling exhausted. These barriers may be amenable to physiotherapy intervention, and we asked participants about their experience of physiotherapy. 44% reported that they had never had physiotherapy for PD; the remainder ranged from single assessment to more than one course of physiotherapy.