Guidelines for the implementation of community-based health promotion programs for people with disabilities

The past decade has witnessed an explosion in health promotion programs targeting persons with disabilities, including health promotion training programs, informational campaigns, and environmental modification initiatives. Despite this growth, health promotion programs for people with disabilities are still in the early stages of development. To address this issue, the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Health and Wellness convened a national Expert Panel on Health Promotion Programs for People with Disabilities to develop a set of guidelines on health promotion. With roots in nominal group consensus of the 1960s, the expert panel process involved the recruitment and participation of informed and involved members who are experts in components of the study topic. The procedures used by the panel were based on recommendations from Jones and Hunter, and included review of relevant background material, drafting guidelines, and an iterative process of discussions and deliberations until consensus on each guideline was reached. The guidelines consist of overarching operational, sustainability, and participation recommendations for health promotion. They address the role of people with disabilities in health promotion program planning, implementation, and evaluation; physical and programmatic accessibility of health promotion to people with disabilities; and the importance of evidence-cased practices. This session will present an overview of the nine criteria for implementing health promotion for people with disabilities adopted by the expert panel.