Beyond the games : building health, wellness and confidence for Special Olympics athletes via virtual programming
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Introduction: Virtual wellness programs have emerged as a promising solution to improve health, wellness, and fitness, particularly for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) and developmental disabilities (DD). This population faces unique challenges, including reduced access to physical activity (PA), wellness education, and social engagement, which contribute to higher rates of physical and mental health comorbidities. Addressing these barriers, this capstone project collaborates with the Special Olympics of Missouri to deliver a 12-week virtual wellness program designed to enhance physical, mental, and social health outcomes. Objectives: The objectives of the program are to: increase PA and independence in daily life, improve mental health, overall wellbeing, and enhance social participation. This project aims to decrease barriers for individuals with ID/DD by providing an accessible virtual platform, empowering participants, encouraging healthy habits and improving quality of life. Methods: Using a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental approach, this DCE program includes workouts, wellness education, mindfulness activities and additional activities. Data collection includes pre-and post-surveys assessing PA level, PA enjoyment, mental health, social satisfaction, and overall wellness. Weekly participation tracking was done to foster engagement and monitor consistency. Results: An average of 18.5 individuals participated in the program's daily activities and Zoom meetings over the 12-week period. Pre and post-program data revealed positive changes in participants' physical health, mental health, social engagement, and overall wellbeing. Findings show increased PA, improved enjoyment of exercise, decreased self-perceived difficulty of workouts, improved perceived independence, decreased anxiety and depression, increased social engagement, and an improvement in overall health. Conclusion: This DCE demonstrates the impact of occupation-based, virtual programming in promoting health and wellness for adults with ID/DD. The combination of workouts, health education, mental heath strategies, and applicable activities created an accessible and empowered community that encourages occupational participation and healthy routines. The outcomes of this DCE demonstrate the value of occupational therapy in creating inclusive initiatives that promote independence for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
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