An Evaluation of Physical Activity Training in United States Physical Therapy Programs: Perspectives of Physical Therapy Directors Public

Abstract

Background

 Physical therapists are allied health professionals with expertise in human biomechanics for the prevention, management, and rehabilitation of illness and injury. Given the growing burden of NCDs and physical inactivity in the U.S., physical therapists are appropriate healthcare professionals that can assist in targeting promotion of health through assessment and prescription of physical activity (PA). Despite this notion, no current literature exists outlining PA training in U.S. Physical Therapy (PT) programs.

Methods 

To assess PA training in U.S. DPT programs, a 23-item survey was created and conducted to program directors of all 225 accredited programs in the winter of 2018. The survey topics included benefits and fundamentals, assessment, prescription, and perception of PA.

Results

 Seventy-three representatives from U.S. PT programs (public, n = 39; private n = 34 ) responded to the survey. All respondents reported inclusion of PA benefits and fundamentals, with 71.2% of respondents reporting greater than six training hours; 68.5% of respondents reported greater than six hours of training hours on the topic of PA assessment; and 54.8% of respondents reported greater than six hours of training on PA prescription. 98.6% of directors reported “excellent” or “good” confidence in their students’ ability to assess PA, across all PT settings.

Conclusion 

It is encouraging to identify the presence of PA, from a public health perspective, in PT training, as well as the positive perspectives directors’ hold on the importance of this topic. However, the hours reported are low compared to other areas of curricular focus. Therefore, it is clear that systematic improvement in curricula is required to better train PTs on assessment and prescription of PA for the purpose of health promotion and NCD risk factor mitigation and management. Creative new approaches are required for integration of PA in PT training of future physical therapists.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

1. Introduction …………….1

            1.1 Background…………….1

            1.2 Study Objective…………….7

2. Literature Review…………….9

            2.1 Physical Activity and Health Outcomes…………….9

            2.2 Role of Health Care Providers Promoting Physical Activity…………….16

            2.3 Role of Physical Therapy  …………….18

            2.4 Physical Activity in Professional Programs…………….20

3. Methods…………….23

4. Results…………….25

            4.1 Perception of Physical Activity…………….26  

            4.2 Health Promotion…………….28

            4.3 Benefits and Fundamentals of Physical Activity…………….28

            4.4 Assessment of Physical Activity…………….29

            4.5 Prescription of Physical Activity…………….29

5. Discussion…………….32

6. References…………….39

7. Appendix…………….45

About this Master's Thesis

Rights statement

• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	M.P.H.
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health Health Sciences, Public Health Education Health Sciences, Rehabilitation and Therapy
Mot-clé	physical therapy physical activity chronic disease
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Lobelo, Felipe, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Does not apply (no collaborating organization)

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