Factors influencing a health promotion program for adults with intellectual disabilities

Purpose: Steps to Your Health (STYH) is an eight session participatory and didactic intervention that emphasizes essential components of healthy living such as physical activity, good nutrition, and stress reduction. For over ten years this program has had more than 600 participants and has benefited individuals with intellectual disability, autism, and traumatic brain injury. Program effectiveness evaluations indicate significant improvements in knowledge, physical activity, diet, and weight loss. While these findings are promising there is no definitive proof of the programs impact. Subsequently, we are measuring the efficacy of STYH with a well controlled experimental study design.

Methods: Since early 2007 participants were recruited into a randomized controlled intervention trial through a network of community Disability and Special Needs (DSN) boards in over twenty of South Carolina's 46 counties. Two health educators facilitated the eight STYH intervention sessions and the eight alternative intervention sessions whereas two evaluators completed questionnaires and measurements for assessments for both groups at baseline, following intervention completion (9 weeks), and at 6 month and 12 month follow-up assessments.

Results: Study results for approximately 450 participants will be presented with an emphasis on positive behavior change including increases in physical activity and weight gain reduction.