Healthy Kids & Healthy Lifestyles Francis Hermes, Otds | Doctoral program in occupational therapy | HUNTINGTON UNIVERSITY

Project Description

There are numerous obstacles that children and their families face on their path to living a healthy lifestyle. Obesity concerns, lack of nutritious foods at home, lack of physical activity, and mental health concerns, such as depression and anxiety are prevalent among children and youth in the United States. One program that would greatly benefit the members of the Boys & Girls Club of Troy (BGCT) is the Triple Play: A Game plan for the Mind, Body, and Soul. This is an evidence-based health and wellness program that utilizes a dynamic multi-component approach. This approach is designed for children ages 6 to 18 and is meant to promote physical activity (PA), nutrition education, social and emotional development, and develop healthy habits that can last a lifetime. As it currently stands, the Boys & Girls Club of Troy does not implement the Triple Play program throughout its school year schedule. Additionally, the BGCT has many children with disabilities (CWD) (autism, ADHD, Down syndrome) that attend the afterschool program. As a result, to translate my OT experience to the BGCT and Triple Play program, identifying and adapting health and wellness activities, sports, and games for CWD will be incorporated into the capstone project. In a study conducted by Biggs et al. (2019), according to Boys and Girls Club of Rochester (BGCR) member perception, barriers to physical activity include unhealthy eating habits, performance fears, judgement, lack of activity options, and lack of encouragement (Biggs et al., 2019). On the other hand, facilitators to PA include having a sense of competition, improving on personal best, and opportunities to engage in activities with friends, family, and BGCR staff, while also being invited to do so (Biggs et al., 2019). This includes active attempts by BGCR to invite and include them in the game or activity. Moreover, structured settings such as afterschool programs, daycare, school, sports, and summer camps are necessary in reducing sedentary lifestyles and increasing physical activity and healthy habits. Negative effects on the health of children and youth stem from lack of structure, organization, routine, and adult-supervision (Tassitano et al., 2020). Outside of school-related activities, children and youth are occupied in moderate-to-vigorous levels of physical activity in afterschool programs, summer camps, and sports-related activities (Tassitano et al., 2020).

Needs Assessment

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022), children and adolescents (ages 6 though 17) should engage in 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous intensity levels of physical activity each day.
• The Boys & Girls Club (BGC) of Troy does not currently have a structured physical activity program that has the adaptations necessary for children with disabilities (CWD) to participate in.
• Average days for club members include free-time/free-play, unstructured activities (especially within the school year). There is a lack of programming options for CWD and able-bodied peers to participate in.
• Children experience environmental barriers at school, home, and within their neighborhood when trying to engage in physical activity. This includes broken equipment or facilities, inadequate staffing or staff knowledge, limited activity options, weather concerns, other responsibilities, and cost of organized sports (Biggs et al., 2020).
• In a study conducted by Biggs et al. (2020) members of a BGC reported that activities with peers, BGC staff, and family made activities fun, inclusive, competitive, and promoted physical activity.

Literature Review

• According to a study concerning staff and member perception of the BGC of Rochester, Minnesota, barriers to physical activity include unhealthy eating habits, performance fears, judgement, lack of activity options, and lack of encouragement (Biggs et al., 2020).
• In this study, facilitators of physical activity include having a sense of competition, improving on personal best, and opportunities to engage in activities with friends, family, and BGC staff, while also being invited to do so (Biggs et al., 2020).
• In a study conducted by MacEachern et al. (2022), commonly identified barriers to physical activity among CWD include programs unequipped to handle the nature of a disability and lack of access to sufficient programming.
• Physical activity can help CWD feel a sense of inclusion, support physical functioning, and improve mental health and wellbeing (Carbone et al., 2021). A lack of resources, adaptive activities, programming, peer support, and societal bias has limited opportunities for CWD to engage in physical activity.
• Children can learn adaptive and diverse activities with peers. This type of programming can result in enjoyment, mastery, social inclusion, and friendship (Nyquist et al., 2020).
• Adapting activities and making it meaningful to CWD with peers can establish new roles, a feeling of belonging, solidarity, friendship, and increase a sense of self (Nyquist et al., 2020).

Project Mission Statement

To promote and support physical activity, healthy eating habits, and adaptive activities for children with disabilities through community-based interventions for them to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

Project Vision Statement

To foster and develop a healthy lifestyle in aspects related to nutrition education, physical activity, staff education, and social inclusion with Boys and Girls Club members to decrease the prevalence of serious health-related issues among children.