Skip To Navigation Skip to Content
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregedivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregafgivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
Individuals & Caregivers
Physical & Occupational Therapy
Public Health Professionals
Teachers
 

NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

Font Size:

Conclusions


The standardized instruments used to measure health-related self-efficacy, nutritional awareness and behavior, stress management and physical fitness (Hypothesis 1) all showed significant improvements for those attending the workshops, as contrasted with no changes over the course of the study for the Control group. Not unexpectedly, given the brief time frame of this project, there were no significant changes in the physiological measures for the workshop participants, although there were some positive trends that indicate the possibility of significant results if the subjects could be followed for a longer period. An indirect measure of Hypothesis 2 did receive some support, although this support was not as strong as for other aspects of this study. The standardized socio-psychological instruments used in this study also indicated significant positive changes for a number of the predicted outcomes of participation in the workshops. The workshop participants did experience fewer and less severe secondary conditions by the end of the study, significant improvement in life satisfaction (a measure of quality of life), significant improvement in health knowledge, and a significant improvement in health behaviors.

As noted previously, the major shortcomings of this study were the small numbers of participants that completed the study and the short time frame of the study. The small numbers reduced the total power for most measures to approximately 0.60, making it more difficult to demonstrate any real changes in the participants, and the short time frame made it unlikely that measurable changes would be found in the physiological parameters looked at in this study. Another shortcoming was the lack of specific measures for Hypothesis 2 and for Outcome f. These problems are quite remediable if funding is acquired in the future for an extension of this study.

These results show that the comprehensive and integrated (holistic) wellness program for men and women with spinal cord injury, as designed and presented in this study, is an effective program resulting in a number of positive changes in the health behaviors of participants. These behaviors are presumed to have the potential to positively impact the long-term health and quality of life of these individuals. The results indicate it would also be worthwhile to conduct long-term (3-5 year) studies of wellness programs of this type, increasing the number of participants and following them for an extended period of time to track projected changes in behaviors and physiological parameters. In addition, the current database resulting from this project will be useful in generating a number of examinations of socio-psychological factors in relation to type, level and severity of injury. Similar holistic wellness programs could be adapted and tested for others who have chronic neuromuscular disabilities such as those from polio, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida. Based on the results of this study, rehabilitation practitioners and Independent Living professionals may want to consider establishing holistic wellness programs of this type as a health care service to persons with SCI. Finally, the UMHS should strongly consider offering holistic wellness workshops such as the one tested here as a clinical service to patients with musculoskeletal disabilities.


blog comments powered by Disqus