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NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

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University of Illinois at Chicago Program - Center on Health Promotion for Persons with Disabilities


The Center on Health Promotion for Persons with Disabilities (CHP) at the University of Illinois at Chicago is a comprehensive 12-week health promotion intervention designed for people with physical and cognitive disabilities and consists of three units: Fitness, Nutrition, and Health Behavior. Interwoven within these units is the availability of physical, occupational and speech therapy. Transportation is provided at no cost to the participant.

The goal of the fitness program is to have each participant engage in an hour a day of physical activity, three days a week. The exercise intervention consists of the following activities: cardiovascular endurance, muscle strength and endurance, and flexibility. During the first two weeks of the program, participants are trained in using the equipment. Individual goals are developed for each participant to insure that they are exercising within their comfort zone and are achieving a training effect.

Nutrition and cooking instruction occurs immediately after the exercise session for one hour. The class is directed by a registered dietitian under the supervision of a nutrition researcher. The nutrition component consists of short modules on healthy eating, food preparation, an examination of old eating routines, food labels, shopping tips, and restaurants and special occasions. The participants learn how to cook healthy meals and discuss ways to alter their eating habits. Much of the hour is spent trying new foods and occasionally cooking a healthy meal.

The Health Behavior unit offers participants new ways to conceptualize changes that have occurred in their lives following a disability through the use of a model that combines health education, group therapy, and peer support. The primary goal is to help the participants acquire new skills to deal with various secondary conditions related to their disability. The psychologist and social worker take into consideration the cognitive level of the participants and tailor the program to their specific learning and emotional needs.

For more information, please visit http://uic-chp.org/.


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