Health promotion and wellness for persons with disabilities: 1

Regular physical education and recreation for children and adults with disabilities will reduce the risk to health problems and also reduce secondary health conditions common to sedentary, persons. Physical educators teach the skills necessary to engage in vigorous activity. Recreation provides the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical & health education journal 1997-10, Vol.63 (3), p.29
Main Author: Arnhold, Robert W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Disability
Disease Control
Education
Government (Administrative Body)
Health aspects
Health Behavior
Health Care Costs
Health Conditions
Health education
Health Promotion
Legislation
Legislators
Occupational Information
Opportunities
People with disabilities
Physical Education
Physical Education Teachers
Program Development
Public Policy
School Districts
Therapeutic Recreation
Wellness
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Summary:Regular physical education and recreation for children and adults with disabilities will reduce the risk to health problems and also reduce secondary health conditions common to sedentary, persons. Physical educators teach the skills necessary to engage in vigorous activity. Recreation provides the opportunities for utilizing these skills in a life-long endeavour. People with disabilities who remain active throughout adulthood experience fewer risks to health and secondary conditions than inactive, sedentary people. Active and healthy people, especially those with disabilities will also significantly reduce the cost to national health care and long-term disability care. These benefits are incontestable and undeniable. Physical education and recreation specialists must begin to look at their profession from a drastically different perspective and evaluate their role differently from the traditional educational model. The role of educating key personnel responsible for making key decisions about the services to people with disabilities must be within their job description. The American Disability Prevention and Wellness Association, which is supported by over 125 professional organizations, has presented draft legislation to Congress which would amend the Public Health Service Act to include language to promote the health and wellness of individuals with disabilities (Blankenbaker, Marge, & Carlin, 1997). Specifically, this advocacy group is seeking the approval of the legislature to appoint the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia to oversee and provide discretionary grant projects for health promotion and wellness for persons with disabilities, especially focusing on the reduction of secondary conditions for these individuals.
ISSN:1498-0940