Determinants of the use of physiotherapy services among individuals with Parkinson's disease living in Brazil

ABSTRACT To identify the factors affecting the use of physiotherapy services among individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) living in Brazil. Methods: Overall, 479 individuals with idiopathic PD, of both sexes, at any stage of the Hoehn & Yahr (HY) scale, and from seven capital cities in Brazil were recruited from 2014 to 2016. Multivariate logistic regression was the main statistical tool. For the construction of the logistic model, the association of the dependent variable “physiotherapy” with the independent sociodemographic/economic and clinical variables: age, education, family income, time of PD since onset, HY, the activities of daily living and motor subscales of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale, cognitive aspects, depressive symptoms, fear of falling, freezing gait, history of falls, physical activity level, gait speed, walking performance and balance, were verified. Results: The 479 individuals had an average age of 65.2 ± 11.0 years, 88% were in the HY I-III stages and 43.4% were under physiotherapy treatment. The analysis identified two determinant variables related to the use of the physiotherapy service: level of education (OR = 1.24) and walking performance (OR = 0.82). Decreased walking performance and a higher educational level increased the use of a physiotherapy service in individuals with PD living in Brazil. Conclusions: The present study shows that individuals with PD, residents from different regions of Brazil, have limited access to physiotherapy services. In addition, the Brazilian Public Health Care System, as well as local programs, need to target PD individuals with a low educational level to improve their access to physiotherapy services. Goals should aim towards the development of physical exercise programs to improve the patients’ functional performance for a longer period.