Researchers in Community & Health Sciences

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Browsing by Author "Abaraogu, Ukachukwu O."

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    Promoting Physical Activity and Exercise in Daily Practice: Current Practices, Barriers, and Training Needs of Physiotherapists in Eastern Nigeria
    (University of Toronto Press, 2015) Abaraogu, Ukachukwu O.; Edeonuh, Juliet; Frantz, Jose M.
    PURPOSE: To investigate current practices, barriers, and training needs for the promotion of physical activity (PA) in physiotherapy practices in eastern Nigeria. METHODS: A total of 141 fully licensed physiotherapists in southeast Nigeria were invited to participate in a cross-sectional survey consisting of 23 questions in five key sections, focusing mainly on risk-factor management practices of physiotherapists. RESULTS: A total of 103 questionnaires were returned. Respondents ranged in age from 20 to 54 years and reported a mean of 11 (SD 10) years of clinical experience. Respondents reported that they regularly assess and advise their clients on PA but rarely give written prescriptions. Although they are confident in assessing and advising their clients on PA and consider including PA intervention as a priority in daily practice, lack of time and lack of access to materials were reported as barriers to effective PA intervention. CONCLUSION: Findings showed the potential for physiotherapists to address physical inactivity and highlighted several barriers. Strategies are needed to improve contact time with clients and make material promoting PA available to practising physiotherapists.
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    Promotion of healthy nutrition in clinical practice: A cross-sectional survey of practices and barriers among physiotherapists in southeast Nigeria
    (Hong Kong Physiotherapy, 2016) Abaraogu, Ukachukwu O.; Ogaga, Mary O.; Eric, Odidika; Frantz, Jose M.
    BACKGROUND: Healthy diet counselling is an important concept in health promotion. Physiotherapists are well positioned to initiate or support healthy nutrition in addition to physical activity counselling, in routine patient consultation. OBJECTIVE: To determine the practices about and barriers to diet counselling practices among physiotherapists in Southeast Nigeria. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, a total of 140 questionnaires were distributed among physiotherapists. RESULTS: Overall, 103 physiotherapists responded. Physiotherapists are confident and consider the incorporation of dietary counselling very important and of high priority in their daily clinical work. They, however, assessed and counselled on dietary status opportunistically in patients. Notwithstanding, physiotherapists believed that the diet counselling they give could be effective in helping patients change their unhealthy dieting practices. Patients were also amenable to physiotherapists advocating on diet issues as part of their consultation. Several barriers to incorporating diet counselling into physiotherapy practice were identified, including lack of access to a dietician/health promotion staff/counsellors, lack of proper patient education materials, lack of expertise in relation to dietary risk factors' assessment and management, and uncertainty about what dietary services to provide.