Life-space mobility, balance, and self-efficacy in Parkinson disease: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Life-space mobility (LSM) is a mobility measure that assesses the physical and social environments through which people move during their daily lives.
Objective: To characterize LSM among individuals with Parkinson disease and explore the relationship between LSM, self-efficacy, and balance.
Design: A cross-sectional study.
Settings: Movement disorder clinic at a teaching hospital.
Participants: Eighty-eight participants with Parkinson disease.
Interventions: Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures: The dependent variable (LSM) was assessed using the Life-Space Assessment (LSA) instrument. Balance evaluation and balance self-efficacy were assessed using the Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) and the Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, respectively. Other variables, such as age, disease staging (Hoehn-Yahr staging system), cognition (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II), were also measured.
Results: The mean LSA score was 65.2 (SD: 22.8) and mean age was 63.2 years (SD: 10.5 years). Among the 88 patients, 32 (36.4%) were classified as restricted LSM. Age (p = .03), disease severity (p = .02), cognition (p = .02), and motor subtype (p = .006) were associated with more restricted LSM among participants. A multiple linear regression model demonstrated that LSM can be predicted by balance performance (R ²  = 0.377; p < .001).
Conclusion: Age, disease severity, cognition, motor subtype, balance self-efficacy, and balance performance are associated with LSM. Understanding and improving balance and self-efficacy in people with Parkinson disease could facilitate community mobility and promote functional independence and health maintenance.
(© 2022 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.)