Patient‐reported and performance‐based measures of walking in mild–moderate Parkinson's disease

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of the relationships between patient‐reported and performance‐based walking measures in Parkinson's disease (PD) should inform clinical decision‐making. The Walk‐12G reliably captures perceived walking difficulties but has not been compared to performance‐based walking in laboratory or free‐living settings or across different groups. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between patient‐reported walking difficulties (Walk‐12G) and performance‐based walking in laboratory and free‐living conditions and to determine whether the Walk‐12G can distinguish between the subgroups, (i) people with/without PD and (ii) mild/moderate disease stages. METHODS: Forty‐seven people without and 49 people with PD (Hoehn and Yahr stage II and III) were assessed in relation to patient‐reported walking difficulties (Walk‐12G scale); spatiotemporal gait characteristics (Pace; Rhythm; Asymmetry; Variability; and Postural control) using a laboratory‐based electronic walkway; and walking behavior (mean steps/day and minutes of brisk walking/day) using accelerometers in free‐living conditions. RESULTS: The Walk‐12G correlated moderately with the spatiotemporal domain step velocity (r = −0.46) and walking behavior, measured as mean steps/day (r = −0.46). Weaker correlations were observed for step length and minutes spent in brisk walking (r = −0.36 and r = −0.35, respectively). Poor correlations were observed for all other spatiotemporal domains. The Walk‐12G could distinguish between people with and without PD (Effect size, r = 0.82) and between those at mild/moderate disease stages (r = 0.34). CONCLUSIONS: Perceived walking difficulties showed weak to moderate associations with performance‐based measures of walking in mild–moderate PD. As the strongest associations were observed for step velocity and walking behavior, targeting these specific gait aspects could improve perceived walking difficulties in daily life.