Diet Quality and Social Engagement of People With Parkinson’s Disease and Their Informal Caregivers

Abstract

ObjectivesTo describe and compare the diet quality and social engagement of people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) and their informal caregivers (ICG). To explore relationships in diet quality and social engagement activities. MethodsForty participants (20PwPD, 20ICG) were assessed. They rated their participation in seven social activities (visiting friends, social groups, social events, group exercise, educational courses, paid and volunteer work) on a scale of 0–3 (never, rarely, sometimes, often). Diet quality was assessed using Healthy Eating Index (HEI) 2015 scores (ranged from 0–100). Descriptive statistics were reported. Pearson Chi-Square analysis compared social engagement activities between PwPD and ICG. Spearman correlations explored the association between diet quality and social engagement variables. ResultsMean age of participants was 68.05 ± 11.2 yr, and 57.5% were female. Mean HEI-2015 score was 58.2 ± 11.4, with no difference in scores between ICG and PwPD. Half of participants (PwPD = 9, ICG = 11) reported participating in volunteer work at least once a month, and 72.5% (PwPD = 14, ICG = 15) attended social groups at least once a month. Only 30% (PwPD = 6, ICG = 6) reported taking education courses at least monthly. Eighty % of PwPD and 35% of ICG attended group exercise classes at least once a week. PwPD were more likely to participate in group exercise programs than ICG (P = 0.03). There was no association between diet quality and social engagement variables. There was a positive association between being involved in social groups and volunteering (r = 0.3, P = 0.03), taking courses (r = 0.4, P = 0.02), and visiting friends (r = 0.4, P = 0.01). A positive association was found between visiting friends and paid community work (r = 0.3, P = 0.04) and between volunteer work and taking educational courses (r = 0.5, P = 0.002). ConclusionsPwPD and ICG have low diet quality, but are engaged in a variety of social activities. Although no association between diet quality and social engagement, future research should explore if relationships exist in a larger, more diverse sample to understand how involvement in these activities can impact diet quality and quality of life. Funding SourcesThere was no external funding for this study.