Development and expansion of a global public health promotion effort by chiropractors

Objectives: The Straighten Up program was developed and presented by a seed group of chiropractors in 2004. This presentation provides an update of the global reach and acceptance of the program to date, and reports on the current progress to expand with additional modules. Methods: The original seed panel, along with several other interested parties was asked to consider developing additional Straighten Up modules that would help address the growing global burden of spine disorders, using a variety of approaches. These initial modules were then refined by the panel, and then put through a Delphi panel review process. The Delphi panel included public health experts from around the world. Results: The first module presented to the international Delphi panel was Just Start Walking, a brief program designed to encourage daily moderate physical activity. Since then a total of eight modules have been presented for global health promotion efforts. Conclusions: The Straighten Up program has received acceptance and endorsement from many international health groups, and has been implemented in numerous countries and regions. With the help of the international panel, eight additional modules have expanded the options for specific populations to participate in this public health promotion effort.