Healthy Living Across the Life Span
Participating Faculties: Health Sciences (Host), Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Social Science, and Information and Media Studies
Project Leaders: Kevin Shoemaker
Total Project Funding: $259,000
Funding Period: 3 years
Abstract:
Prevention and management of chronic disease, in particular
cardiovascular disease, is highly information-intensive. Not only must
all members of the care team understand, integrate and communicate
various types of information (i.e. clinical ‘best evidence’, specific
information about the individual case, patient preferences, etc), but
lifestyle management information must be effectively communicated to patients according to their needs, preferences and abilities. Also,
physical and personnel resources that enable the successful and
sustained integration of education and lifestyle management strategies
into family practice (e.g. exercise and nutrition) are needed. The overall objective
of this IDI program is to establish a model process whereby
prescriptive exercise and nutritional aspects of chronic disease
management can be prescribed and applied to patients at risk for
cardiovascular disease through primary care, combining the expertise of
family practice teams and a new specialization of Clinical
Kinesiology (CK). The CK specialists will be developed at the
undergraduate level and then integrated within family practice teams to
enable the translation of evidence regarding the interaction
of lifestyle management practices and health within clinical practice.
In addition, the CK and this IDI program aim to improve the sustainability
of behavioural change by patients with disease or disease risk by
integrating such expertise into family practice and by the provision of
physical and educational resources that will enable and enhance
patient care in the areas of exercise and nutrition. A directed
research program will provide the evidence required to establish the CK
training program, as well as systematically investigate the
implementation and outcomes of the model process. By working with family
physicians and their teams, the CK and University community will
integrate with community-based family practice clinics to enhance
patient care with improved health outcomes.