Self-directed Health Promotion Screening Project

Principal Investigator: Gloria Krahn, PhD, MPH; Oregon Health & Science University

Status: In progress

Description: It is likely that findings from previous RRTC studies will reveal that health-promoting behaviors by persons with disabilities require a combination of general and disability-specific health practices, including the management of barriers that get in the way. This study will use the emerging knowledge to develop a screening tool that people with disabilities can use to survey their own health practices. We will evaluate the extent to which the tool effectively discriminates between a group of participants who have been identified by their health providers to experience secondary conditions and a group who has been identified as not experiencing secondary conditions.

Major Objectives:

Objective 1 Develop screening tool.
Objective 2 Conduct a known groups validation study to evaluate the tool.
Objective 3 Collect, code and analyze data

Review of the Current Literature: Health promotion practices for persons with disabilities are likely to include those important for anyone (i.e., physical activity, healthy diet, not smoking, weight control, adequate sleep, moderate consumption of alcohol) as well as practices that may be unique to living healthy with a disability (eg. can get the personal assistance needed to prepare a proper diet, take care of skin, etc.; can access the diagnostic equipment - exam table, mammogram machine- at the doctor’s office; have information about strategies people with disabilities can use to stay healthy) (Brandt & Pope, 1997 Passaro et al., 1998; Pope & Tarlov, 1991).

One application for this knowledge is the development of a screening tool that people with disabilities can use to evaluate the extent to which they are able to and do engage in practices and manage barriers required for health promotion. This type of screening approach has been found to increase awareness of health practices among persons without disabilities (Vasse, Nijhuis, & Kok, 1998).