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| ADAPT is a free, three-month nutrition
and exercise program and research study for people who are spinal cord-injured
with paraplegia. The program is funded through the National Institute
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR). Participants are recruited
through the the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) and the program
is held at the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University
of Illinois at Chicago. Included in the program are free body fat,
bone density, strength, blood pressure, cholesterol and dietary measurements.
The nutrition component, held in a spacious professional kitchen, includes hands-on taste testing of low-fat and low-salt products, food preparation and cooking instruction, and learning skills such as label reading and cooking methods to decrease dietary fat. The exercise component, held in a weight training and aerobic room, includes aerobic activity and muscle strength and endurance exercises tailored for paraplegics. Individual exercise programs are prescribed by a physiatrist and exercise physiologist. The program addresses the increased risk of developing secondary conditions related to spinal cord injury due to such factors as sedentariness and the physiologic changes that occur with a spinal cord injury (for example, a decrease in muscle mass and an increase in body fat). The goal of the program is to improve food choices, fitness and strength, leading to improved independence and overall health. To qualify to join the study, a person must have paraplegia, must be a patient at RIC and must be either overweight, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure and/ or diabetes. If you think you qualify and wish to join the study, please contact Kristin Tomey in the Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Illinois at Chicago at (312) 355-0340. |