Part 2: Preparing Entry-Level Occupational and Physical Therapy Students to Promote Healthy Lifestyles Emphasizing Healthy Eating with Individuals with Disabilities

Brooks C. Wingo, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Donald H. Lein, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Beth A. Barstow, UABFollow
Christopher A. Eidson, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Tara S. Pearce, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow
Laurie A. Malone, UABFollow
David M. Morris, University of Alabama at BirminghamFollow

Document Type (Journals)

Educational Innovations

Abstract

Rehabilitation professionals including occupational therapists (OT) and physical therapists (PT) are increasingly called upon to incorporate health promotion of lifestyle behaviors including physical activity and healthy eating into routine clinical care. While OTs and PTs may be comfortable promoting activity-related behaviors, many are less comfortable with nutrition behaviors. To address entry-level OT and PT students’ perceived discomfort with discussing diet-related behaviors, faculty developed a healthy eating module for students to use during a community-based service learning program. The purpose of this paper is to describe the formative evaluation process of developing the healthy eating module, and to discuss results of a pilot trial of this module. The formative assessment of the healthy eating module consisted of four steps: focus groups with students, key informant interviews with community partners, expert panel round table, and expert panel review of materials. Students (n=117) completed questionnaires at the end of the service learning program to assess how much they used the new resources, and how useful they found the resources. The final healthy eating module consisted of an on-line training session and a healthy eating toolkit, including resources for assessments, treatment activities and additional nutrition information. Mann-Whitney U tests indicated that students who reported high use of materials found the resources significantly more helpful than those students who reported low use (p

Biography

Brooks C. Wingo, PhD is an assistant professor at UAB. Her research interests relate to lifestyle interventions for obesity among people with physical disabilities. She teaches courses in health, well-being, and behavior change interventions in the entry-level MSOT program and the PhD in Rehabilitation Science.

Donald Lein, PT, PhD is an assistant professor and Director of Clinical Education at UAB. His research interests include osteoporosis care and prevention and physical therapists' practice of health literacy and health promotion in clinical practice. He teaches coursework in functional anatomy, physical modalities, musculoskeletal interventions, and health promotion.

Beth Barstow, PhD, OTR/L, SCLV, FAOTA is an associate professor at UAB. Her research efforts focus on understanding the occupational limitations and needs of older adults with age-related eye disease especially as it relates to health and wellness. She teaches low vision rehabilitation and qualitative research methods.

Chris Eidson, MS, OTR/L is an assistant professor at UAB. He teaches coursework in the areas of biomechanics, therapeutic skills, and health and wellbeing in the entry level MSOT program. His research interests focus on the scholarship of teaching.

Tara Pearce, PT, DHS is an assistant professor and Associate Director of Clinical Education at UAB. In addition to clinical education responsibilities, she teaches coursework related to neurological physical therapy, professional practice issues, and examination strategies in the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program.

Laurie A. Malone, PhD is an assistant professor at UAB. Her research utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach to examine the impact of physical activity and sport on the lives of persons with disability across the lifespan. She teaches adapted physical activity and kinesiology in the UAB Department of Human Studies.

David Morris, PT, PhD, FAPTA is Professor and Chair in the Department of Physical Therapy at UAB. He teaches coursework related to professional practice issues, neurorehabilitation strategies, and physical therapists' role in health promotion and wellness in the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy and PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences.

Declaration of Interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Recommended Citation

Wingo, B. C., Lein, D. H., Barstow, B. A., Eidson, C. A., Pearce, T. S., Malone, L. A., & Morris, D. M. (2018). Part 2: Preparing Entry-Level Occupational and Physical Therapy Students to Promote Healthy Lifestyles Emphasizing Healthy Eating with Individuals with Disabilities. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education, 3 (1). https://doi.org/10.26681/jote.2019.030110