Award Date

5-1-2024

Degree Type

Doctoral Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Committee Member

Daniel Young

Second Committee Member

Jason Ciccotelli

Third Committee Member

Merrill Landers

Number of Pages

59

Abstract

Children in rural communities experience health and education disparities. Early exposure to health promoting habits can positively impact future health habits. Healthcare providers who grew up in rural areas are more likely to practice in rural areas. Doctor of physical therapy students and physical therapists implemented Anatomy Academy, a service-learning program aimed at promoting healthy living and introducing healthcare occupations, to elementary students in a rural area as this program had previously only been implemented in urban areas. The Biomedical Institutional Review Board at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas approved this study. A 40-minute lesson was delivered weekly for seven weeks by four doctor of physical therapy students and two physical therapists to fourth grade children at a rural Nevada elementary school. A cohort study design was used to collect data from the children using a twenty-question survey. Incomplete or unmatched pre/post surveys were not included in the final analysis. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS Version 27. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests were used to compare pre- and post-survey data among all participants. Where significant differences were found, descriptive statistics to determine the actual changes in survey responses were analyzed. The data analysis included 43 completed surveys and excluded 32 incomplete or unmatched surveys. Significant differences were noted in the subjective responses to “How much do you like to learn about anatomy?” (pre-score 60.5% favorable response, post-score 90% favorable response, p=.001), “Do you have an interest in becoming a healthcare worker?” (pre- 11.6% yes, 41.9% no, post-51.2% yes, 16.3% no, p=.003), and “How much screen time do you get per day?” (pre-48.8% < 2 hours, post-62.8% < 2 hours, p=.013). For objective responses, we noted significant increase in correct responses to the following questions: “Where is the first place digestion starts to occur?” (pre-32.6%, post-74.4%, p=.003), and “How many minutes per day should you and other children do physical activities?” (pre-23.3%, post-55.8%, p=.0004). Study participants reported increased interest in health care and increased knowledge of some anatomy and health habits content following Anatomy Academy. The study was limited to fourth grade students at a rural elementary school in Nevada, so results may not be generalizable to other areas or populations. Student reflections on their Anatomy Academy experiences were collected through a Qualtrics questionnaire after weeks one and seven to allow doctor of physical therapy students to expand on the professional and interpersonal growth obtained throughout their opportunity, while also tying their experiences to the American Physical Therapy Association core values. A Qualtrics questionnaire was administered to stakeholders of the elementary school to assist with examining intervention outcomes and Anatomy Academy program perceptions. Physical therapists and doctor of physical therapy students can provide children in rural communities with knowledge about health promotion and fitness through programs such as Anatomy Academy, possibly creating opportunities for future healthcare leaders in rural areas where healthcare providers are limited. Future research in other rural areas is warranted.

Keywords

Rural; Anatomy Academy; Education; Elementary Students; Service Learning; Physical Therapy; Teaching

Disciplines

Physical Therapy

File Format

pdf

File Size

1240 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


Share

COinS