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BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
An estimated 67% of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) are either overweight or obese. The VHAs Managing Obesity in Veterans Everywhere (MOVE!) program is a promising intervention for obesity problems in veterans with disability since nearly 31% of veterans have some form of physical disability. Materials and tools to specifically engage SCI patients in weight management treatment are lacking. Having MOVE! patient education materials specifically adapted for this population is an essential step to support weight management efforts and help increase the number of patients with SCI willing to participate in the program. This Rapid Response Project (RRP) will address initial steps in assisting the VA's National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (VA-NCP) and the MOVE! program to develop and provide high quality patient decision aids, educations materials, and self-management tools suitable to veterans with SCI.
OBJECTIVE(S):
This study will: (a) Identify and gather weight management education materials intended specifically for individuals with a disability who use a wheelchair for mobility; (b) Examine and revise currently available MOVE! and non-MOVE! materials with input from rehabilitation team members and/or experts in the area of weight management; (c) Examine the acceptance and understanding of the education materials by veterans with SCI.
METHODS:
This study will involve three phases. The first phase will identify, gather, and critically review patient education materials specific geared to weight management and physical activity in individuals with a disability and wheelchair users. Materials received will be used to tailor patient education materials for individuals with SCI who are primary wheelchair users. The Suitability Assessment of Materials instrument will be used to rate the collected materials as well as guide the development and/or tailoring of materials to individuals with SCI. The second phase will focus on testing the education materials for content validity by an expert panel. Panel members will be asked to independently rate the patient education materials for accuracy, relevance and timeliness of content and accordance with evidence-based guidelines. The third phase of the study will focus on obtaining feedback from a convenience sample of veterans with SCI who are primary wheelchair users.
FINDINGS/RESULTS:
No results yet
IMPACT:
The results of this RRP will have immediate benefits to individuals with disability. It will also make a significant contribution to obesity care and prevention provided, not only to veterans with SCI but also other disabled population. These materials can be used in future research studies to evaluate the effectiveness of the MOVE! program and to evaluate novel approaches to weight management in this population. Ultimately, the materials developed and tested within this RRP can be disseminated VHA- wide through the MOVE! Website, Toolkits, and the NCP's network of VISN and Facility MOVE! co-ordinators. This study will provide a model for the NCP to use when adapting MOVE! weight management materials for other special patient populations.
PUBLICATIONS:
None at this time.
DRA:
Chronic Diseases
DRE:
Prevention, Rehabilitation
Keywords:
Education (patient), Self-care, Spinal cord injury
MeSH Terms:
none
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