No.44 May 2005 |
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Research shows that persons who engage in regular physical activity
have a lower risk of some chronic conditions (i.e., type 2 diabetes,
stroke, coronary heart disease) and retain physical independence throughout
life. Unfortunately, people with disabilities who might benefit most
from the effects of physical activity are often sedentary, and have
poorer health status compared to the population at large (Heath &
Fentem, 1997; National Council on Disability, 1992; Rimmer & Braddock,
1997; Rimmer, 1999, 2002; Rimmer et al, 2001; U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, 2000). Prolonged physical inactivity can cause a
downward health and functioning spiral, and sedentary behavior over
time can make it more difficult to engage in physical activities that
could promote health. It can also have a negative effect on performing
self-care activities and other activities of daily living. Moreover,
at a societal level, this can contribute to higher health care costs
and a greater strain on the national health care budget (Rice &
Trupin, 1996).
The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability
(NCPAD) (www.ncpad.org)
was created in 1999 as a national health promotion initiative to gather,
synthesize, organize, disseminate, and produce information and resources
on physical activity and disability. People with disabilities are encouraged
to take charge of their physical fitness and health. NCPAD’s information
resources are geared to consumers, caregivers, practitioners, and researchers,
and it serves to network these constituencies in order to produce new
information on physical activity and disability.
Though the Surgeon General and other federal agencies recommend 30
minutes a day of moderate exercise to achieve health benefits, NCPAD
suggests that any increase in regular physical activity contributes
to better overall health, i.e., reducing secondary conditions, and quality
of life. The NCPAD Dissemination Model:
NCPAD effectively disseminates its information and resources through
the following methods:
One of NCPAD’s related projects, AIMFREE (Accessibility
Instruments Measuring Fitness and Recreation Environments), is the product
of a three-year study funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The AIMFREE instrument measures the accessibility of fitness centers,
swimming pools, parks and trails. It can be used by both people with mobility
limitations and by professionals, such as fitness and recreation center
owners and staff (http://www.aimfree.org/overview.html).
Technology Focus:
NCPAD’s Web site serves as the key repository for its information,
and NCPAD utilizes new technologies as they become available. Examples
of this include NCPAD’s new Web site layout (www.ncpad.org),
video clips (http://www.ncpad.org/videos/),
and customized spinal cord injury videos (http://www.ncpad.org/videos/fact_sheet.php?sheet=271).
Moreover, NCPAD plans to use information technology to provide more personalized
and interactive services for people with disabilities so that outreach
efforts can promote higher rates of participation in physical activity.
This could include personalized goal setting and recording of physical
activity levels to overcome many current barriers to participation in,
and adherence to, healthful exercise programs.
Future Plans:
NCPAD plans to develop a section of its Web site
that will allow individuals to create personal physical activity goals
and a feedback system to monitor their progress. Visitors will be given
the option of using the PADS to determine a current level of physical
activity. Once baseline values are obtained, the application will help
guide them toward developing realistic goals with an appropriate timeframe
for achieving those goals. The system will allow the user to create daily,
weekly, and monthly targets of physical activity. Progress can be viewed
through visual graphic presentation displays. All NCPAD resources, including
telephone and e-mail contact with Information Specialists, will be available
to users to make such progress.
NCPAD also intends on developing a portion of its
Web site for children with disabilities. This will include expanded information
on recreation and exercise for parents, therapists, teachers, etc., and
fun games and activities for children.
NCPAD always seeks to reach more underserved populations,
i.e., those who don’t have the skills or resources to use computers
and the Internet. These individuals can currently reach NCPAD through
its toll-free telephone line and receive mailed materials. Additional
public service announcements about NCPAD, the development of more NCPAD
exercise videos for a wide range of disability conditions, and perhaps
an airing of these videos on a public television station would help outreach
to these populations. Moreover, NCPAD hopes to translate its Web site
resources into Spanish (and perhaps other languages), and employ staff
who speak these languages, in order to avail its services to persons of
other cultures and ethnic groups. Lessons Learned:
Though NCPAD was initially developed to be purely an information clearinghouse,
it has grown into an expansive network of professionals and consumers
as a conduit for the development of new information pieces on physical
activity and disability, including fitness, recreation, sport, adaptive
equipment, and more. Furthermore, the development of new technologies
continually provides NCPAD with other avenues for assisting people with
disabilities to engage in exercise and recreation. For further information contact
Jennifer Gray, MA Information Specialist NCPAD 312-355-4544 www.ncpad.org ![]() http://www.icsspe.org/portal/bulletin-may2005.htm |