Date of Award
1-1-1992
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Child and Youth Care Administration
Advisor
Joan Mignerey
Committee Member
Thrisha Shiver
Committee Member
David S. Flight
Keywords
adult services, behavior modification, case management, community-based programs, daily exercise, developmental disabilities, exercise programs, health promotion, individual physical data bases, individual service plans, learning disabilities, mental retardation service centers, motivation, nutritional counseling, obesity, obesity-related diseases, physical activity, physical fitness, Presidential Sports Award, reward systems, rural communities, Special Olympics, special education, walking programs, weight loss, weight management, wellness programs
Abstract
This report explains a program for decreasing obesity of mentally retarded adults served by a mental retardation service center in a southern rural community. Problems originally noticed included enormous body weights of clients, obesity-related diseases, a lack of exercise programming, and failure to participate in Special Olympics.
An analysis of the clients' Individual Physical Data Bases revealed body weights 20X or more over the average for a person's age, build, sex, and height. According to the client medical reports, 50% of the obese clients suffered from medical disorders created by their obesity. A review of the Individual Service Plans indicated that case managers were failing to Identify weight reduction as an outcome, and, therefore, no programming was being implemented to assist clients with their obesity problems.
The major solution strategy involved increasing client participation in exercise activities on a daily basis. An exercise class of walking was implemented ty the practicum manager for 30 minutes each day, Monday through Friday, at the center. A daily activity sheet was kept on each client to reflect the type of exercise, the amount of time involved in the exercise, and noted weight loss. Nutritional counselling, reduction in problem behavior. Special Olympic competition and the Presidential Sports Award program were implemented as additional strategies.
All clients originally identified as obese actually improved their walking distances, nutritional habits, and behavior. A review of the Individual Physical Data Bases and weight charts revealed clients lost an average of 18 pounds. The lack of motivation became the major source of difficulty, as case manager's enthusiasm and behavior modification techniques were not as intense as needed in order to produce greater results in client weight reduction.