Health Matters: The Exercise and Nutrition Health Education Curriculum for People with Developmental Disabilities

For people with disabilities, a good health and nutrition program can have life-changing results: more energy, increased knowledge, more confidence and self-esteem, and fewer serious health issues such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. This innovative, easy-to-implement curriculum is the perfect way to help adults build healthy lifestyles—and as a bonus, help communities reduce the high costs of common health problems.

A research-based, field-tested program that's already made a dramatic difference in the lives of participants with disabilities, this proven curriculum shows professionals how to conduct up to 59 one-hour sessions that help people make the best choices about health, exercise, and nutrition. Through lively discussions and activities, adults with a wide range of disabilities will

• increase their commitment to exercise and good nutrition by learning the benefits of physical activity, exercise, and healthy food choices
• develop clear exercise and nutrition goals and stick to them
• master the practical aspects of an exercise routine, including dressing appropriately, using proper breathing techniques, and doing cool-down exercises
• learn how their medications may affect their body, physical activity, and eating habits
• monitor their heart rate and blood pressure during exercise
• identify foods that make up a well-balanced diet
• locate places to exercise and use equipment safely
• improve their self-advocacy and self-esteem so they can make good choices and stay healthy
• create a group exercise video they can use at home once the program is over
• and much more

This single resource includes everything professionals need to run successful health education sessions: complete instructions on running the program, adaptable instructor scripts for each lesson, weekly newsletter templates for participants that summarize key points, extensive appendices on assessment and Universal Design strategies, and all the participant handouts and worksheets included as downloadable electronic files.

With this engaging, hands-on curriculum, people with disabilities will have the motivation and skills they need to improve and maintain their health—and fewer health problems translate into saved time, money, and staffing resources for whole communities.

Download updated materials:
MyPlate: A new way to illustrate the five major food groups

Dr. Marks is also Associate Director for Research in the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities (RRTCADD) and President of the National Organization of Nurses with Disabilities. She directs research activities related to health promotion, health advocacy, primary health care, and occupational health and safety for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Dr. Marks has developed and implemented community-based surveys related to health and safety for people with disabilities and has written publications and presented papers in the area of disability, health, and community engagement in the United States and internationally. She has coedited a special issue for Nursing Clinics of North America titled Promoting Health Across the Lifespan for Persons with Developmental Disabilities and a feasibility study report, Advancing Nursing Education at Bel-Air Sanatorium and Hospital in Panchgani, Maharashtra, India, through The Global Health Leadership Office/ WHO Collaborating Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Ms. Sisirak’s research interests focus on nutrition, health literacy, and health promotion for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She coordinates several health promotion projects in the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities and has written publications and has presented papers in the area of disability in the DHD at UIC. Her research interests consist of nutrition, health literacy, and health promotion for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She coordinates several health promotion projects in the RRTCADD and has written publications and presented papers in the areas of disability, health, and nutrition. Ms. Sisirak received her bachelor of science degree in dietetics at Southern Illinois University and her master of public health at UIC. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate in community health sciences in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Dr. Heller also directs the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Aging with Developmental Disabilities and projects on support interventions for individuals with disabilities, including the Special Olympics Research Collaborating Center. Dr. Heller has written more than 150 publications and presented more than 200 papers at major conferences on family support interventions and policies, self-determination, health promotion, and aging of people with developmental disabilities. She has coedited two books (Health of Women with Intellectual Disabilities, Blackwell Publishing, 2002; Older Adults with Developmental Disabilities: Optimizing Choice and Change, Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1993) and edited special issues of Technology and Disability, American Journal on Mental Retardation, Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, and Family Relations. She is the president of the board of the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. In 2005 she was a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging. As a cofounder of the national Sibling Leadership Network, she is a member of its steering committee. Her awards include the 2009 Autism Ally for Public Policy Award of The Arc/The Autism Program of Illinois; the 2008 Lifetime Research Achievement Award, International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities, Special Interest Group on Aging and Intellectual Disabilities; and the 2009 Community Partner Award of Community Support Services.