Children & Youth with Disabilities Lab

In response to the need for health promotion among those with MS, a physical activity program was created and evaluated with stakeholder feedback. The “Health Education for Persons with Multiple Sclerosis (HEMS)” program was developed using Drum and colleagues (2009) guidelines for implementing health promotion programs for individuals with disabilities. The purpose of this manuscript is to conduct a feasibility study that describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of the HEMS program in preparation for a future randomized controlled trial. The evaluation was accomplished through two aims: (1) Process and resource feasibility to assess participation, satisfaction, and utility of the program resources (i.e., survey and activity measurement, environment capacity, implementation needs, etc),; and (2) Outcome evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the health promotion program through variables related to social cognitive theory including self-efficacy, goal setting, outcome expectations, and social support, and physical activity at pre, post, and follow up time points. It was hypothesized, for aim 1, that feedback will demonstrate high program satisfaction, high participation rates, ease of use, and acceptable measurement of program outcomes. Feedback from aim 2 will also provide critical information for future iterations of the HEMS program. It was hypothesized, for aim 2, that aspects of the social cognitive theory will improve including self-efficacy, goal setting, outcome expectations, social support and physical activity following the intervention.

Highlights

• HEMS provides tools to increase activity for those with multiple sclerosis
• Designed and implemented from theory and guidelines for persons with disabilities
• Outcome evaluation showed increases in physical activity and theoretical constructs
• Process evaluation included feedback on program materials and barriers to participation.
• Outcome measures, peer counseling, and additional modules should be considered.