Health and Wellness Behaviors of Practicing Physical Therapists
Bobbi Collins, SPT; Brad Lewis, SPT; Kimberly Peters, SPT; Brittney Schmidt, SPT; Shelby Snelling, SPT
Faculty Mentors: Christina Wisdom, PT, DPT, OCS, CLT; Brian McKiernan, PT, PhD
Purpose/Hypothesis:
Studies have shown that physicians who have healthy personal habits are more likely to encourage patients to adopt related habits. Additionally, research has shown that patients are more inclined to change their behaviors when their health care provider is viewed as a credible role model. To date, there is limited research on the health and wellness behaviors of physical therapists. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health and wellness behaviors of practicing physical therapists and their beliefs about being role models for patients.
Subjects:
Subjects included 353 practicing physical therapists in the United States.
Methods and Materials:
An email invitation to participate in the online survey was sent to each Center Coordinator of Clinical Education of sites who have clinical education contracts with Rockhurst University. They were asked to forward the email to practicing physical therapists. Outside of demographic data, the survey asked for feedback in areas including: medical checkups; exercise, sleep and eating habits; and the respondent's opinion of physical therapists’ role in educating patients about healthy behaviors. Descriptive statistics were calculated in Excel.
Results:
The average age of respondents was 37.4 years (74.7% female, 25.3% male). The average BMI was 24.4 kg/m2. Overall, the results indicate most physical therapists are practicing healthy habits, with exception of:
● 38.7% had BMI of 25 kg/m2 or greater (overweight)
● 57.6% reported exercising less than the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week
● 48.6% reported strength training fewer than the recommended 2 days per week
● 24.9% reported obtaining, on average, less than the minimally recommended 7 hours of sleep on weeknights
Compared to the general population fewer physical therapists meet CDC guidelines for aerobic exercise. Top reported barriers of healthy habits are time constraints (33%) and family responsibilities (20%).
Most physical therapists agree they should be health and wellness role models and educate patients about such behaviors, however when asked if:
● discussing the benefits of a physically active lifestyle is part of their role, 5.67% disagreed
● they feel confident giving advice on a physically active lifestyle, 5.4% disagreed
● physical therapists should be physically active to act as a role model for patients, 5.11% disagreed
● physical therapists must “practice what they preach,” 5.71% disagreed
Conclusions:
Overall, physical therapists are routinely practicing a variety of healthy habits, which puts them in the ideal position to positively impact patients’ health and wellness. However, the majority of respondents do not meet CDC recommendations for aerobic exercise, and a sizable minority are overweight and do not meet strength training recommendations. Respondents predominantly believe they should model healthy habits and counsel patients on health and wellness behaviors, but there is a small group that disagrees.
Faculty Mentors: Christina Wisdom, PT, DPT, OCS, CLT; Brian McKiernan, PT, PhD
Purpose/Hypothesis:
Studies have shown that physicians who have healthy personal habits are more likely to encourage patients to adopt related habits. Additionally, research has shown that patients are more inclined to change their behaviors when their health care provider is viewed as a credible role model. To date, there is limited research on the health and wellness behaviors of physical therapists. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health and wellness behaviors of practicing physical therapists and their beliefs about being role models for patients.
Subjects:
Subjects included 353 practicing physical therapists in the United States.
Methods and Materials:
An email invitation to participate in the online survey was sent to each Center Coordinator of Clinical Education of sites who have clinical education contracts with Rockhurst University. They were asked to forward the email to practicing physical therapists. Outside of demographic data, the survey asked for feedback in areas including: medical checkups; exercise, sleep and eating habits; and the respondent's opinion of physical therapists’ role in educating patients about healthy behaviors. Descriptive statistics were calculated in Excel.
Results:
The average age of respondents was 37.4 years (74.7% female, 25.3% male). The average BMI was 24.4 kg/m2. Overall, the results indicate most physical therapists are practicing healthy habits, with exception of:
● 38.7% had BMI of 25 kg/m2 or greater (overweight)
● 57.6% reported exercising less than the recommended 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week
● 48.6% reported strength training fewer than the recommended 2 days per week
● 24.9% reported obtaining, on average, less than the minimally recommended 7 hours of sleep on weeknights
Compared to the general population fewer physical therapists meet CDC guidelines for aerobic exercise. Top reported barriers of healthy habits are time constraints (33%) and family responsibilities (20%).
Most physical therapists agree they should be health and wellness role models and educate patients about such behaviors, however when asked if:
● discussing the benefits of a physically active lifestyle is part of their role, 5.67% disagreed
● they feel confident giving advice on a physically active lifestyle, 5.4% disagreed
● physical therapists should be physically active to act as a role model for patients, 5.11% disagreed
● physical therapists must “practice what they preach,” 5.71% disagreed
Conclusions:
Overall, physical therapists are routinely practicing a variety of healthy habits, which puts them in the ideal position to positively impact patients’ health and wellness. However, the majority of respondents do not meet CDC recommendations for aerobic exercise, and a sizable minority are overweight and do not meet strength training recommendations. Respondents predominantly believe they should model healthy habits and counsel patients on health and wellness behaviors, but there is a small group that disagrees.