Development of an on-line health promotion intervention for vocational rehabilitation clients

The disparity in employment and insurance coverage between people with and without disabilities translates into disparities in access to health promotion programming. Vocational Rehabilitation provides one possible delivery point for overcoming these barriers and improving access. Research about the Working Well with a Disability program showed that VR clients who participated were able to reduce their limitation from secondary conditions and improve their employment outcomes. Unfortunately, many potential research participants were unable to attend the 10 week workshop series due to competing demands with work, training, education, or other family responsibilities, or because of rural transportation issues. Participant feedback indicated that alternate delivery mechanisms were necessary to reach a broader VR client population.

One approach to expand access is to offer a health promotion intervention via the internet to vocational rehabilitation clients. The Health Plans to Employment (HPE) intervention consists of a brief self-report questionnaire, targeted health and behavior change information, and a goal setting process to outline steps for achieving a behavior change objective. It builds on and links to existing resources, such as the National Center for Physical Activity and Disability, Mayo Clinic, USDA MyPyramid, and Helpguide.org. Development of the on-line interactive process is not meant to replace a Working Well type of intervention, but rather expands health promotion access to individuals who may be constrained by transportation, time, or program availability. The poster presentation will outline the development of the HPE on-line intervention, pilot testing, and progress to date.