Integrating a Clinical Exercise Gerontology Experience into a Kinesiology Curriculum

2015 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 392-397
Author(s):  
Todd A. Gilson ◽  
Anthony Deldin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
The United States ◽  
Demographic Shift ◽  
Potential Barriers ◽  
Career Opportunities ◽  
Similar Program ◽  
Adult Fitness

In the next 45 years it is estimated that individuals aged 65 and older will increase by 93% in the United States. This population will require a reexamination in thinking related to what retirement is and how seniors desire to maintain their quality of life. Thus, with this demographic shift, new career opportunities will be available for students in older adult fitness, and kinesiology graduates can be at the forefront of providing physical activity to promote public health. Through the exploration of an off-campus clinical exercise gerontology experience at Northern Illinois University, specifics of the program and potential barriers are discussed, with an eye toward assisting other institutions that wish to begin/enhance a similar program. Finally, benefits and future opportunities are highlighted showing how this partnership has led to an improved quality of life for seniors and strengthened relationships with the larger community.

Populations and the Law: The Changing Scope of Health Policy

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Fox
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Practical Reasons ◽  
Health Law ◽  
New Politics ◽  
The People ◽  
The Subject

Changes in the scope of health policy in the United States are creating opportunities and obligations for lawmakers and the lawyers who advise them. These changes are the result of a new politics of policy for the health of populations. The new politics is connecting areas of policy that, because they have had separate histories, are governed by distinct, usually uncoordinated laws and regulations.The subject of the new politics of health policy is what the Iowa Senate President, speaking in a plenary at the 2003 conference on Public Health Law in the 21st Century, called the “quality of life, what the people think is important.” An increasing number of leaders in general govemment–people who run for office and their staff–have practical reasons to make policy that acknowledges the expanding scope of what their constituents define as health policy.

Online Well-Being Focused Curriculums

2017 ◽  
pp. 1415-1429
Author(s):  
Michelle Lee D'Abundo ◽  
Stephen L. Firsing III ◽  
Cara Lynn Sidman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
United States ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Related

Education and health are among the most salient issues facing Americans today. The field of public health has moved away from a physical health medical model to a more well-being focused quality-of-life perspective. K-20 curriculums in the United States need to reflect this ideological shift. In this chapter, content-focused curriculums with process-focused health behavior change-oriented learning are proposed as a strategy to promote well-being. Other issues that need to be addressed in the current education system are that the delivery of health-related curriculums is often inconsistent and taught by untrained personnel. Well-being-focused curriculums delivered online can provide consistency to improve the quality of health courses. This innovative approach has the potential to improve educational and health outcomes for K-20 curriculums while addressing public health issues by promoting well-being and quality-of-life for children and adults throughout the United States.

Online Well-Being Focused Curriculums

2014 ◽  
pp. 714-728
Author(s):  
Michelle Lee D'Abundo ◽  
Stephen L. Firsing III ◽  
Cara Lynn Sidman
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
United States ◽  
Medical Model ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Behavior Change ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Health Related

Education and health are among the most salient issues facing Americans today. The field of public health has moved away from a physical health medical model to a more well-being focused quality-of-life perspective. K-20 curriculums in the United States need to reflect this ideological shift. In this chapter, content-focused curriculums with process-focused health behavior change-oriented learning are proposed as a strategy to promote well-being. Other issues that need to be addressed in the current education system are that the delivery of health-related curriculums is often inconsistent and taught by untrained personnel. Well-being-focused curriculums delivered online can provide consistency to improve the quality of health courses. This innovative approach has the potential to improve educational and health outcomes for K-20 curriculums while addressing public health issues by promoting well-being and quality-of-life for children and adults throughout the United States.

scholarly journals Public health nursing interventions to promote quality of life in older adult populations: A systematic review

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 92
Author(s):  
Marjorie A. Schaffer ◽  
Mary Kalfoss ◽  
Kari Glavin
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Public Health Intervention ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Functional Health ◽  
Public Health Nurses

This review analyzes how nurse-led public health interventions promote quality of life (QoL) among older populations. Using Medline and Cinahl databases, authors completed a systematic review of experimental and quasi-experimental studies published between January 2010 and March 2016 that described interventions used by public health nurses to address health needs of older adult populations. Lawton’s theoretical QoL concepts and the Public Health Intervention Wheel model, which names interventions at the individual, community and systems levels, were used to interpret results. The 23 studies were widely distributed geographically. Four of Lawton’s theoretical QoL domains (Health, Functional Health, Personal Competency, Psychological Well-Being) were addressed in the majority of studies. Although public health nurses used Wheel interventions at all levels of practice, individual level interventions were featured in studies to a greater extent in comparison to community and systems level interventions. Few studies used QoL measures to determine intervention effectiveness.  Nurses should consider QoL domains, as they design individual, community, and systems level interventions to improve the health of older adult populations.

scholarly journals The Ethics of Food and Childhood Obesity – A Public Health Issue

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-21
Author(s):  
Evangel Sarwar
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
Severe Obesity ◽  
The United States ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Issue ◽  
Public Health Issue ◽  
Health Crisis

Adequate food consumption is essential to stay alive. However, overconsumption and consumption of nutritionally deficient food can increase risks of obesity that negatively impacts health; ultimately leading to more expensive medical treatments, reduced quality of life, and early death – making it a public health issue. The World Health Organization (WHO) notes there is an increase in the prevalence of infant, childhood and adolescent obesity, and this is alarming because obesity can affect a child's immediate health, educational attainment, and quality of life. Overweight children are likely to be obese as an adult and consequently be at risk for various chronic illnesses. The prevalence of severe obesity in the United States has alarmingly increased among children, and research suggests that approximately 90% of children with severe obesity will become obese adults depending on the age at which these children became obese. This only shows that obesity is a precursor for a far more significant public health crisis that is about to explode with time. Moreover, obesity is also associated with the development of psychosocial implications such as diminished self-esteem and self-worth as a result of associated social and peer stigma. According to experts, the focus on childhood obesity should be on prevention rather than on the treatment of obesity. Even though obesity has been identified as the overconsumption of calorically dense and high-fat foods and inadequate physical activity, there is a socioeconomic dimension to the obesity crisis. This raises ethical questions regarding the role of government in implementing policies to eliminate obesity. To address obesity, it is better to understand it at the community level. Better policies that address the socioeconomic issues and environmental factors that fuel the obesity epidemic are needed – with that in mind; this paper aims to target these issues at the community and policy level.

Achieving Mobility Access for Older Adults Through Group Travel Instruction

2017 ◽  
Vol 2650 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Lubin ◽  
Karen Alexander ◽  
Elizabeth Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Field Trip ◽  
Driving Ability ◽  
Trip Planning ◽  
Group Travel

It is anticipated that the number of older adults in the United States will reach 70 million before midcentury. Although the majority currently meet their transport needs by driving, one in five older adults does not drive. That statistic is expected to rise as senior drivers experience disability, health-related issues, or both, that negatively affect their driving ability. For many older adults accessible public transportation can be a viable transport option provided they are aware of and familiar with available transit services, trip planning, and how to safely and independently utilize transit systems. Findings are presented from a group travel instruction program piloted with older adults in New Jersey that encompassed classroom training and a field trip. A robust survey evaluation protocol was implemented that yielded findings that included the important role of transportation to older adult quality of life; high participant program satisfaction; evidence of participant knowledge and skills gained after program completion; and participant interest, willingness, and actual usage of public transit after the program. Survey respondents also confirmed several quality-of-life indicators experienced from program participation. In total, these findings offer evidence of the benefits of group travel instruction for older adults with and without a disability as they seek to meet some or all of their travel needs via accessible public transportation. The findings also support the value of offering both classroom and field trip components in older adult travel instruction programs.

Biopsychosocial Patterning of Multimorbidity and Its Consequences

2018 ◽  
pp. 220-236
Author(s):  
Elliot Friedman ◽  
Beth LeBreton ◽  
Lindsay Fuzzell ◽  
Elizabeth Wehrpsann
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Functional Outcomes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Chronic Medical Conditions ◽  
Quality Of Life Research ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Over Time

By many estimates the majority of adults over age 65 have two or more chronic medical conditions (multimorbidity) and are consequently at increased risk of adverse functional outcomes. Nonetheless, many older adults with multimorbidity are able to maintain high levels of function and retain good quality of life. Research presented here is designed to understand the influences that help ensure better functional outcomes in these older adults. This chapter presents findings that draw on data from the Midlife in the United States study. The independent and interactive contributions of diverse factors to multimorbidity and changes in multimorbidity over time are reviewed. The degree that multimorbidity increases risk of cognitive impairment and disability is examined. The role of inflammation as a mediator is considered. Multimorbidity is increasingly the norm for older adults, so better understanding of factors contributing to variability in multimorbidity-related outcomes can lead to improved quality of life.

scholarly journals Inquiry Based Stress Reduction (IBSR) Improves Overall Stuttering Experience among Adults Who Stutter: A Randomized Controlled Trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 2187
Author(s):  
Omrit Feldman ◽  
Eran Goldstien ◽  
Benjamin Rolnik ◽  
Ariel B. Ganz ◽  
Shahar Lev-Ari
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Stress Reduction ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Psychological Flexibility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Adults Who Stutter

Stuttering is a speech disorder that can cause disturbances in the timing and flow of speech. In addition to being a communication disorder, stuttering is often accompanied by a reduction in the quality of life and has impacts on social status, mental well-being, self-acceptance, and the chances of integration into the labor market. The Inquiry Based Stress Reduction (IBSR) program, developed in the United States by Byron Katie in 1986, is the clinical application of “The Work” method (Thework.com) and represents an emerging mindfulness and cognitive-reframing method. IBSR has been demonstrated to improve mental health and well-being in adults and may alleviate psychological and psychosocial symptoms of stuttering. The purpose of this trial was to examine the effect of a 12-week IBSR intervention on the overall stuttering experience and indicators of anxiety, psychological flexibility, and well-being among adults who stutter (AWS). This study was a randomized controlled clinical trial. Participants were randomized to IBSR (n = 28) and control (n = 28) groups. Validated questionnaires of overall stuttering experience (OASES-A), anxiety (STAI), psychological flexibility (PFQ), and satisfaction with life (SWLS) were completed before, after, and one month after the intervention. An intention-to-treat approach was implemented for analysis. Our results show that participants in the IBSR intervention group exhibited a greater improvement in their overall stuttering experience as compared to the control group, as well as in general information on stuttering awareness and perception, reactions to stuttering, communication in daily situations, and quality of life. In addition, we found a greater reduction in anxiety levels and an increase in satisfaction-with-life scores in the IBSR group. These results indicate that IBSR can improve the overall stuttering experience.

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