Project Proposal by:

Isaac Nyamekye Affram

Topic: Physiotherapists’ Role in Health and Wellness Promotion for People with Musculoskeletal Disorders

Introduction : Chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs) pose a significant threat to the public health and
quality of life of people of all ages and nationalities. The burden of NCDs is projected to increase due to several
factors, including a longer average life span and an increasing prevalence of unhealthy lifestyles. Many of the
underlying risk factors for NCDs, particularly the unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, are modifiable, and therefore
NCDs may be amenable to behavior modification. Chronic musculoskeletal disorders, including back pain, are
similar to NCDs in that they are a significant reason for seeking care, and they share many of the modifiable
lifestyle behaviors and risk factors. Physical inactivity, smoking, an unhealthy diet, obesity, poor sleep, and
stress are the main lifestyle behaviors associated with NCDs and chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Therefore,
targeting these lifestyle behaviors may manage these conditions and improve general health and wellness.
Healthcare professionals have an excellent opportunity to lessen the impact of chronic pain through
incorporating health promotion into their clinical practice and thereby changing the lifestyle of their patients,
which may help reduce the burden of such cases.

Health promotion has been defined as “the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to
improve, their health.”. Assessment, communication, and improving health literacy are among the main ways
to promote health. According to the World Physiotherapy (formerly known as the World Confederation for
Physical Therapy), “physiotherapists provide services that develop, maintain and restore people’s maximum
movement and functional ability”. From physical, psychological, emotional, and social well-being,
physiotherapists help people maximize their quality of life. physiotherapists dealing with musculoskeletal
disorders encounter many patients with chronic conditions and unhealthy lifestyle behaviors and therefore are
well-positioned to promote health and wellness with their patients. Through this, physiotherapists could have a
vital role in reducing the burden of NCDs and chronic musculoskeletal disorders. However, health and wellness
promotion has not yet been recognized as a core physiotherapist competency, and few studies have looked at
the current assessment, management, and barriers to physiotherapists incorporating health and wellness
promotion into their clinical practice. To support enhancing the health promotion practice in Ghana, current
physiotherapy services need to be explored in assessing and managing lifestyle behaviors.

Study Design and Methods : A cross-sectional study will be conducted utilizing an online survey to explore
physiotherapists’ current role in assessing and managing lifestyle behaviors and risk factors within a particular
time frame.

Data Collection : Data will be copllected using a purpose-designed questionaire based on previous studies. The
questionaire will be organised into several sections that will include demographic and background descriptive
data (including personal adherence to healthy lifestyle factors), assessment and confidence level in assessing
lifestyle behaviors and readiness to change, the priority level of addressing lifestyle risk factors, and perceived
effectiveness of such practice, barriers to providing health and wellness promotion, and education needed to
be able to provide health and wellness promotion.

Eligibility Criteria

Targeted participants will be made of all physiotherapist in Ghana whose clinical practice involves managing
individuals with musculoskeletal disorders. this will be achieved through the use of social media for
adverticement and also direct invitations with the help of the Ghana Physiotherapy Association.

Statistical Methods :

Data will be described using absolute and relative frequencies. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS,
Version 25) will be used.

Ethical Clearance:

Ethical approval will be obtained from the Research Ethics Committee.

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