Research at Northwestern University Multipurpose Arthritis Center has established the efficacy of an innovative patient education program called EDUCIZE. The program involves people with arthritis in 16-24 two hour sessions which combine dance-based low impact aerobic exercise with a problem-solving discussion. Previous research indicated that EDUCIZE positively affected physical, psychological and quality of life parameters in most people who participated. To date no means have been developed to train allied health professionals to conduct EDUCIZE. This Phase I project will determine the feasibility of using a multi-media delivery system to train for the program. The long-term objective is to develop a full-scale EDUCIZE training kit which will make it possible for interested health professionals to offer the program to people with arthritis.
The specific aims of Phase I are to : (1) develop video, audio and print media to train health professionals to conduct two representative EDUCIZE sessions; (2) determine whether the training materials enable health professionals to acquire the basic knowledge and skills necessary to conduct the two representative sessions; and (3) assess the acceptability of the training materials to health professionals. An additional and related aim of this project is to access the extent to which the EDUCIZE sessions conducted by the materials-trained health professionals are perceived as motivational and educational by people with arthritis who participate.
