Obesity is a public health concern and a major risk factor contributing to physical and psychological problems. It affects participation in occupations and increases healthcare-related costs. Certain populations are at risk of being overweight and obese. These include people of low socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minorities, and individuals with disabilities. Adolescents diagnosed with learning disabilities (LD), and/or attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) were also found to face difficulties in maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in healthy behaviors. While occupational therapy practitioners often address the academic and behavioral performance of children and adolescents with LD or ADHD, special attention should be given to weight-management and health promotion.
An occupational therapy guided, health-promoting program was designed to address this gap. The 12-week program, named “Keep moving!” is intended for adolescents with LD or ADHD in schools and community centers. It incorporates Zumba dance activity, which is a form of a moderate-to-high intensity aerobic exercise. The foundations of the program are based on The Trans-Theoretical Model of Behavioral change and The Individual and Family Self-Management Theory, which enable individuals to take a significant part in the process of managing their health. The key features that were identified in the literature as most effective are applied in the program; establishing health-promoting habits and routines at home and school, adding weekly fun and engaging physical activities, providing information regarding healthy lifestyle components, instilling self-management skills, and establishing family support. The program evaluation plan utilizes both formative and summative evaluation approaches. A similar program could be applied to other populations at risk for overweight and obesity by adjusting the type of physical activity to accommodate the abilities and interests of other at-risk population groups.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/39316 |
| Date | 27 January 2020 |
| Creators | Regev Lavy, Inbal |
| Contributors | Gill, Simone V., Jacobs, Karen |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
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