Music for physical rehabilitation (1987-1996): a literature review and analysis

1998 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.A comprehensive literature review and analysis was conducted on the use of music for physical rehabilitation from 1987-1996. An earlier literature review and analysis of music for physical rehabilitation was published by Staum (1988), which covered the literature from 1950 -1986. The purpose of the current study was to provide music therapists with an updated and comprehensive resource to aid them in choosing effective treatment strategies for clients in need of physical rehabilitation. Pertinent music therapy sources, such as the Journal of Music Therapy, and pertinent non-music sources, specifically electronic bibliographic databases such as Medline, were consulted. Relevant sources were discussed in two chapters; Chapter 4 - An Overview of the Use of Music in the Treatment of Physical Rehabilitation, and Chapter 5- Clinical Implications for the Use of Music in Physical Rehabilitation . Tables containing frequency data supplement the discussion of the findings on treatment modalities, research settings, clinical population, musical applications, and literature sources. An overview of the methodology of all experimental and single-subject studies is provided in Table 8

Promoting physical activity among individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia and related disorders: testing a skills-based curiculum

Individuals diagnosed with serious mental illnesses die, on average, 25 years earlier than the general population. This early mortality rate is attributed to negative symptoms that make healthy behaviors, such as exercise, difficult, as well as to antipsychotic medications that carry significant physical side effects. Exercise has been shown to improve life expectancy and studies have shown that even chronically mentally ill individuals are capable of participating in physical exercise with support. Mental skills such as goal setting, visualization, self-talk, and energy management have been taught to the general population to improve exercise behavior. These skills have also been taught successfully to individuals diagnosed with serious mental illnesses for the purpose of symptom management. This, however, is the first study to examine the effects of teaching these mental skills to people diagnosed with serious mental illnesses for the purpose of promoting exercise. This dissertation examines a six-week skills-based curriculum highlighting the benefits of exercise as well as teaching a set of mental skills described above. Ten individuals participated, most were in their early twenties and all carried a diagnosis of schizophrenia or a related disorder. Participants were assessed at baseline, immediately following the intervention, six weeks after the intervention, and 12 weeks after the intervention. Measures included the Rapid Assessment of Physical Activity (RAPA), a semi-structured interview inquiring about the different mental skills and a quality of life questionnaire. Participants also completed helping alliance and consumer satisfaction surveys at the end of the intervention. A 73% attendance rate was noted and statistically significant differences were seen in physical activity and mental skills knowledge between baseline and immediately following the intervention and between baseline and 6 weeks post-intervention. No quality of life change was indicated. These results indicate that the intervention was acceptable to the population as evidenced by an adequate attendance rate and that further research is warranted due to the statistically significant improvements in two outcome areas. These findings indicate that a skills-based curriculum teaching motivational skills to individuals diagnosed with serious mental illnesses is an intervention worth exploring further with larger and more diverse samples

Effectiveness Of An Aquatic Exercise Program For Reducing Weight, Body Fat And Chronic Low Back And Joint Pain

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity has risen at an alarming rate and has reached epidemic proportions throughout the world (WHO, 2017). In the U. S., approximately 93.3 million U.S. adults are obese with an overall prevalence of 39.8 %. Chronic pain is another public health issue in the U.S, affecting almost 100 million people and is associated with significant annual healthcare costs and lost productivity (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health [NCCIH], 2017). Exercise is considered one of the most effective prevention strategies for reducing obesity and has been documented to decrease chronic pain. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to determine if the WATERinMOTION aquatics exercise program was effective in promoting weight loss, decreasing percent body fat, and reducing chronic low back or joint pain. These aquatic programs were offered at two rural Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) sites. A pre/post-test, quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample (N = 11) was utilized. Participants completed a four or five-week aquatics exercise class which met twice a week. Pre/post-anthropometric measures (weight, percent body fat, and body mass index) and pre/post self-reported pain measurements were obtained using the numerical pain scale and survey questions about pain medication use. Upon analysis, statistically significant differences were observed in body weight (p = .005) and body mass index (p = .003) between the pre and post measurements. However, no significant differences were found in percent body fat (p = .113) or pain (p = .112). Despite, the classes being offered only twice a week for four or five weeks and use of a small sample size, participants in the WATERinMOTION aquatics exercise program did demonstrate some positive weight loss benefits

GenerationACTIVE: Creating Healthier Communities Two Generations at a Time

Obesity has become an epidemic across all ages, as the prevalence of obesity has nearly tripled over the last 40 years (World Health Organization, 2017-a). Obesity can have a detrimental impact on the health and future of Americans, as many diseases are correlated with obesity. Diabetes, which often occurs secondary to obesity and is the 7th leading cause of death in America, is similarly on the rise (CDC, 2012). To combat these issues, there is a great need for a health promotion initiative that provides individuals of all ages an opportunity to learn about health and wellness, to take steps to improving their health, and to participate in health promoting activities. The objective of this scholarly project was to target health and wellness promotion, specifically regarding obesity in children and diabetes in older adults. Additionally, this program has been designed in support of educational programming identified through the Minnesota Department of Education. To meet these objectives, GenerationACTIVE was created. GenerationACTIVE is an innovative way to create healthier communities, two generations at a time. Through the use of this intergenerational format, an opportunity for engagement in health initiatives across the lifespan will be provided. An extensive literature review of several databases was performed by the student researchers in order to identify emerging topics of interest and the gaps in current literature revolving around intergenerational programming. The gaps discovered in current literature led the student researchers to generate the innovative product of GenerationACTIVE

Effects of dance therapy on balance, gait and neuro-psychological performances in patients with Parkinson's disease and postural instability

Postural Instability (PI) is a core feature of Parkinson’s Disease (PD) and a major cause of falls and disabilities. Impairment of executive functions has been called as an aggravating factor on motor performances. Dance therapy has been shown effective for improving gait and has been suggested as an alternative rehabilitative method. To evaluate gait performance, spatial-temporal (S-T) gait parameters and cognitive performances in a cohort of patients with PD and PI modifications in balance after a cycle of dance therapy

Health, Health Perceptions, Healthcare Practices, and Influencing Factors among Korean Immigrants Living in Rural Texas

The population of Asian immigrants in the United States increased 43.3% from 2000 to 2010. During the same period, Texas experienced an increase of Korean immigrants of over 47%. Despite the increase of Korean immigrants, only a minimal number of studies explored health and healthcare needs specific to this population. Furthermore, none of the studies addressed Korean immigrants living in rural Texas. Hence, an ethnographic study was conducted to examine the health and healthcare among Korean immigrants living in rural Texas. Face-to-face interviews were conducted and transcribed. Five major themes emerged which included acculturation, health and health perceptions, healthcare, relaxation and extracurricular activities, and social connectedness. Rural Korean immigrants had arduous work schedules, financial constraints, and lacked English competency causing stress and fatigue. Furthermore, chronic health problems such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia existed. However, a majority of the immigrants felt their health was good and engaged in some form of health promotion activities, such as walking or exercising. Despite the health problems, Korean immigrants did not perceive the need for routine healthcare. In addition to receiving no routine healthcare, immigrants did not socialize with other Korean immigrants for a variety of reasons. Furthermore, organizations to assist Korean immigrants did not exist in their community

Refinement and Pilot Testing of a Culturally Enhanced Treatment for Depressed African-Americans

A multitude of evidence suggests that while African Americans are adversely impacted by depression, they still experience significant health disparities in the receipt and acceptability of treatments for the disorder. This study, conducted in two phases, was an initial attempt to address some of these disparities. Phase 1 explored the acceptability and feasibility of implementing a group behavioral activation psychotherapy that incorporated culturally adapted components to address specific risk and protective factors for depression experienced by African Americans. Overall, adequate levels of feasibility were obtained for the organic recruitment of participants from community nursing centers in Milwaukee and the administration of therapy groups at these sites. Participants also reported adequate levels of acceptability for treatment components. Modifications were made to the initial treatment manual from participant feedback and analysis of feasibility data, and this manual was tested in a small, waitlist randomized controlled trial at one of the nursing centers. It was hypothesized that those receiving treatment would experience significant reductions in depression across the trial relative to waitlist controls, and that active group members would experience significantly greater change in variables targeted by the culturally adapted components. High levels of attrition from both groups, however, ruled out meaningful comparisons of groups. Uncontrolled post-hoc analyses of changes in Phase 1 depression groups, however, showed reductions in depression symptoms for both groups. Only one of the groups, however, experienced significant reductions in depression across time. Implications and future directions are discussed

Effects of an Exercise Program on Mentally Impaired Older Adults in a Long-Term Care Facility

This study is a contradistinction to research which assesses the effects of exercise only on older adults who are in good health. This study examined the effect of an eight-week exercise program on 24 individuals with mental impairments, primarily Alzheimer\u27s disease and dementia. Subjects were volunteers who resided in a long-term care skilled nursing facility (SNF). Group composition was 7 males, mean age 83.29 and 17 females, mean age 88.71; mental and physical function levels varied from supervised to total dependence of care. Six variables were tested: right and left shoulder flexibility, right and left hand grip strength, modified sit and reach flexibility, and life satisfaction. Subjects participated in a low intensity exercise program three days a week, with physical variables measured weekly. The data were analyzed in two stages. Only aggregate data were analyzed each week because group composition was inconsistent at any given point at time of measurement, principally due to participants\u27 handicapping conditions and current physical health, but also due to participants\u27 occasional refusal to participate on a given day. After the analysis of aggregate data is reported, individual subject case studies are presented, a necessity due to the population and participation rates. Results indicate that performance on physical variables using a means and standard deviation comparison to charting weekly progress did not show significant improvement. Pre- and posttests of right and left shoulder flexibility, right and left grip strength, and modified sit and reach were computed using a paired t-test. Significance was reached only for right shoulder flexibility t = 1.92, p = $\u3c$.005. A life satisfaction assessment was administered as a pre- and posttest for the exercise program. Not all subjects were assessed due to cognition limitations; however, all but one of those assessed showed improvement in perceived life satisfaction (t = 8.91, p $\u3c$.001). Results suggest that physical functions of flexibility and strength can improve in people with Alzheimer\u27s disease and dementia; however, more research is needed to determine possible contributions of physical exercise to cognitive functioning in individuals with progressive cognitive impairments. Additionally, longitudinal research may provide information to determine if physical exercise has a preventative or postponing effect on the characteristics of Alzheimer\u27s disease and dementia

Healthy, Wealthy and Wise? Cardiovascular Health and Disease in the United States and Switzerland

Cardiovascular disease is one of the most significant public health problems of our time, as it accounts for more deaths worldwide than any other cause. This paper uses a comparison of the United States and Switzerland, as well as objectives outlined in the WHO “2008-2013 Action Plan for the Global Strategy for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases,” to understand opportunities and challenges of addressing cardiovascular health and disease on a national and global level. Comparisons of demographics, social determinants of health, risk factors, and governmental policies and programs for these two countries provided a context for exploring cardiovascular health and disease. There is evidence that the United States and Switzerland view health and disease differently. These perspectives in turn influence national priorities, policies, and programs. There are also differences in data collection and measurement tools used to document progress on cardiovascular health goals. The findings from the analyses of these two countries have implications for a global agenda to prevent and control cardiovascular disease