Description): Using the framework of a biopsychosocial model of holistic health, the proposed three year project is to assess needs, then develop and test the effectiveness of a cognitive wellness program for women with chronic neuromuscular mobility impairments. Using a case-control design, controlling for severity of disability, 200 subjects age 41-65 will be selected from a pool of women registered with a history of paralytic poliomyelitis who live in lower Michigan and Northern Ohio. The baseline data (needs assessment) survey will include measures of physical and mental health, functional status, dietary practices and psychoso-cial stress. The intervention will consist of four, three-hour class ses-sions, which will take place bi-weekly. Additionally, program participants will receive individualized feedback in a session with the class facilitator approximately two weeks after the conclusion of the class. During this session, issues of unique relevance to each program participant will be discussed. Baseline data concerning functional status, nutritional awareness and stress management will be assessed through a physiological exam and series of questionnaires. Post tests will be conducted using the same clinical and self-assessment-based data both ten weeks (two weeks after the experimental subjects have completed the intervention) as well as six months later. A repeated measures ANOVA design will be used to assess the impact of the wellness program. This should allow for assessment of the program's immediate and long-term impact on wellness. It is expected that in comparison with control subjects, program participants will have improved health status, more positive nutritional intake behaviors, reduced fatigue levels, improved sense of responsibility, and improved satisfaction with their overall quality of life. Results of this study are proposed for use as a basis for designing future experimental investigations into the effectiveness of comprehensive wellness interventions that lead to the improved health and well-being of women with physical disabilities.
| Tate, D G; Roller, S; Riley, B (2001) Quality of life for women with physical disabilities. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 12:23-37 |
