Journal CME August 2025, Optimizing health through education: The Adaptive Health Education on Activity and Diet (AHEAD) program-PM R - 2025 - Sokunbi - Optimizing health through education The Adaptive Health

PM R - 2025 - Sokunbi - Optimizing health through education The Adaptive Health

Pdf Summary

This study presents the Adaptive Health Education on Activity and Diet (AHEAD) program, a novel, community-based educational intervention designed to improve healthy lifestyle knowledge and practices among athletes with disabilities (AWDs). Conducted at an urban adaptive sports program affiliated with a rehabilitation hospital, this single-arm pilot feasibility study enrolled 26 AWD participants with diverse disabilities (spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, amputation, etc.) and average age of 50.1 years.<br /><br />The intervention consisted of eight virtual one-hour educational sessions over four weeks focusing on nutrition, strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and health optimization (including mindfulness and health care engagement). Sessions included practical demonstrations such as resistance exercises, use of nutrition apps, stretching techniques, and target heart rate calculations. Participants completed surveys pre-intervention, post-intervention, and at 8-week follow-up, assessing domains like meal preparation frequency, macronutrient tracking, exercise routines, confidence in health management, and patient-reported outcomes including physical function and physical activity levels (via PROMIS-29 and Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire).<br /><br />Key findings include statistically significant increases post-intervention in meal preparation frequency, weight training three or more times per week, discussions of diet and exercise with primary care physicians, and confidence in scheduling appointments. Physical function scores improved and physical activity levels increased, though some gains (e.g., diet discussions) were not sustained at follow-up. Barriers such as lack of diet experience decreased. The virtual format facilitated participation despite transportation challenges.<br /><br />Limitations included small sample size, participant attrition (with only 10 completing follow-up), reliance on self-reported data, and lack of physical assessments. The cohort already engaged in adaptive sports, possibly limiting generalizability. The study suggests that tailored educational workshops using community-based participatory research can enhance health behaviors and engagement in AWD populations and provides a framework for future larger-scale and possibly in-person interventions to optimize health outcomes in this underserved group.

Keywords

Adaptive Health Education on Activity and Diet

AHEAD program

athletes with disabilities

community-based intervention

virtual educational sessions

nutrition and exercise education

health behavior improvement

adaptive sports program

pilot feasibility study

patient-reported outcomes