The Young Women's Program: A health and wellness model to empower adolescents with physical disabilities

Background: This article introduces a comprehensive health and wellness program that serves young women, ages 14 to 21, with physical disabilities. The program is a component of the Initiative for Women with Disabilities (IWD), a hospital-based center serving women with physical disabilities/conditions that offers accessible gynecology, primary care, physical therapy, nutrition consultations, exercise and fitness classes, and wellness and social work services. Recent literature has shown that young women with physical disabilities often face physical and emotional barriers to their own health and wellness. This group of adolescents often has difficulty developing a healthy image of their bodies, especially compared with their able-bodied peers. Unhealthy attitudes regarding the body image and sexuality of those with physical differences are often perpetuated by the media, peers, and parents. People with disabilities have become increasingly able to live fulfilling lives in recent decades. This is due largely to studies that have confirmed that once barriers are addressed and minimized, young women with physical disabilities lead active and productive lives and have much to contribute to society.

Methods: The goal of the Young Women's Program (YWP), established in 2006, is to help young women adopt healthy lifestyles by exposing them to a carefully planned curriculum. The program provides a variety of classes and workshops, expert instruction, and access to resources and a network of peers and mentors. The ultimate goal is for the participants to apply the concepts learned in the group sessions to identify and evaluate their personal goals and develop health and wellness plans for achieving these goals.

Results: Data were obtained from several sources: a self-administered program evaluation, program recruitment and retention statistics, and an assessment of whether individual health and wellness goals were achieved. All of these measures indicate a favorable response to the program structure and content. Participants are able to integrate and apply the learned concepts to alter aspects of their daily lifestyles and improve their self-confidence, self-worth, and self-competence.

Conclusions: The results to date suggest that the YWP addresses the transitional challenges cited in the literature that young women with physical disabilities face from adolescence to adulthood. The structure of the program, which combines individual and group sessions, and the focused content appear to have a positive impact on the participants' lives by exposing them to experiences that promote self-determination and self-competence. By providing opportunities for socialization with peers and mentors and exposure to community resources, and by helping participants to develop self-care skills and to set goals for a healthy lifestyle, the program facilitates leading an independent life. The efficacy of the YWP will be determined by annual follow-up studies as participants enter adulthood.