Telewellness Program Improves Diet Quality Among People with Physical Disabilities: A Retrospective Evaluation

Research Objectives

To evaluate the effectiveness of an eight-week telewellness program, MENTOR (Mindfulness, Exercise and Nutrition to Optimize Resilience), on diet quality among people with physical disabilities.

Design

A retrospective study of people with disabilities (PWD) who participated in the MENTOR program from January to December 2021.

Setting

Online telewellness program in the general community.

Participants

Adults (n=86) ages 22-77 years old (Mean 52+15) had a self-reported physical/mobility disability, including stroke, Parkinson disease, spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, spina bifida, amputation, and other physical disabilities.

Interventions

Eight-week, synchronous telewellness program (5 hrs/week) using the Healthie platform and Zoom videoconferencing software. In addition to classes in exercise and mindfulness, participants attended weekly nutrition classes and optional nutrition counseling led by a Registered Dietitian.

Main Outcome Measures

Diet quality was assessed via the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants-Shortened Version (REAPS) questionnaire administered through the Healthie platform. Scores range from 13-39 with higher scores indicating better diet quality. Changes in pre and post scores were assessed via paired samples t-test.

Results

Mean baseline scores were 27.1 (SD 5.1) and post-program mean scores were 30.1 (SD 5.5), which indicates a statistically significant increase in diet scores after participating in the MENTOR program (p=.002).

Conclusions

An eight-week telewellness MENTOR program resulted in significant improvements in diet scores among people with physical disabilities suggesting the program can be used to promote positive dietary behaviors while focusing on a broader set of wellness domains.

Author(s) Disclosures

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.