Optimizing health through education: The Adaptive Health Education on Activity and Diet (AHEAD) program

Studies have shown that athletes with disabilities (AWDs) are often not provided with injury prevention and health promotion strategies via educational programs.

To assess the impact of a novel educational interventional workshop on the healthy lifestyle knowledge and implementation in a cohort of AWDs using a community-based participatory research approach. We hypothesized that the Adaptive Health Education on Activity and Diet workshop would increase the participation of AWDs in healthy exercise and diet.

Participants enrolled in this educational interventional prospective cohort study consisted of AWDs participating in an urban adaptive sports program. The intervention included eight virtual educational sessions regarding nutrition, strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and health optimization taught by a multidisciplinary team. The outcome measures were participation in healthy lifestyle regarding diet and exercise, Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29, and Godin Exercise scores.

The mean age of the adaptive athletes (n = 26) was 50.1 years (SD 15.4), with 50% male and 50% female. Primary disability diagnoses included spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, amputation, and cerebral palsy. The baseline physical function level PROMIS-29 scores had a sustained increase (increase from pre to post to follow-up) after the intervention (p < .05). There was a nonsustained increase from pre to post intervention (p < .05) in frequency of meal preparation and discussion of diet and exercise with a primary care physician. There was an overall increase in frequency of weight training three or more times a week (p < .05).

Our findings were consistent with our hypothesis that the workshop would increase participation in healthy diet and exercise. The significant improvements were in frequency of meal prep, weight training, and discussions of diet and exercise with primary care physicians.

Providing healthy lifestyle information through an educational workshop tailored to the community's needs, using a community-based participatory research approach, can improve nutrition and exercise participation of AWDs.