Why Kinesiology in Canada is important for the future
@spennyraposo
Visit https://www.kinformation.ca/blog/why-kinesiology-in-canada-is-important-for-the-future for updated article.
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I have expanded on this article. Read about it here: https://medium.com/@spennyraposo/kin-50-conference-2018-looking-back-moving-forward-cecef9cc1b1d
Summary:
- Traditionally, Kinesiologists have been found working within interprofessional teams in supportive roles directed by a physiotherapist
- The CCUPEKA 2016 Position Statement recognizes the need for independent Kinesiology treatment as a preventative measure for managing health.
- One major concern for this position is the need for Interprofessional Education (IPE) and placement/work experience for Kinesiologists.
- Going forward we need to see professional education development of Kinesiology so they can become part of the multidisciplinary team and help bridge the gap between disease and wellness.
- In the future, Kinesiologist’s can lead the way in becoming leaders in health promotion and exercise prescription for the prevention and rehabilitation of disease and injury.
It is generally accepted that up to 80% of Canadians understand the impact of physical activity on general health and wellbeing. Even with that knowledge most Canadian adults aren’t successful. In fact, according to the Canadian Health Measures Survey in 2009, fewer than 15% of Canadian adults meet the recommended weekly guidelines of 150 minutes of physical activity. To make matters worse it is estimated that the average Canadian spends 9.5 hours a day engaging in sedentary behaviour. The direct costs of treating conditions associated with physical inactivity was estimated to be more than $2.4 billion in 2009, which represented 3.7 per cent of all health care costs that year. When personal health and financial productivity due to poor health was calculated, it amounted to a loss of more than $4.3 billion to the Canadian Economy.
Wide spread awareness at the federal and provincial level has helped promote physical activity but in order for action, the health care system needs to make a change. The medical community also understands the importance of physical activity but a sustainable approach has yet to be established. Primary care physicians state lack of time and experience in exercise knowledge to be a barrier for making exercise recommendations. Also, the assurance that the exercises that are prescribed are safe and effective is a barrier. This is where the Kinesiologist comes in. Especially in Ontario, Kinesiologists should now be the first referral source for a primary care physician when they are looking at recommending exercise for their patient. Whether the goal is to lower blood pressure, help with diabetes management, or decrease depressive episodes, exercise prescribed and monitored by a Kinesiologist should be a viable option going forward. To find out more information please read the CCUPEKA 2016 Position Statement listed in the resources at the end of the article.
This motion to fully integrate Kinesiologist’s into the primary care system seems like a great idea to help reduce health costs, help prevent and manage disease, and focus on health promotion. This movement can realistically happen in the next 5–10 years but one major concern for this transition is the need for IPE and placement/work experience within the Kinesiology academia program. This topic was recently discussed in a 2017 article titled “Professional training and the case for interprofesisonal education for kinesiologists.” This article goes over the need for IPE for Kinesiologist’s to help integrate them into a multidisciplinary team. It goes over the the interesting paradox of Kinesiology in Ontario, “ -a professional requisite without requisite accredited professional experiences or training”. This gap in professional preparation needs to be bridged in order for Kinesiologist services to become recognized by the public and among other health professionals.
Conclusion:
Looking at physical activity as a whole, Kinesiology can help bridge the gap. We have been told our whole life that exercise is good for you. Kinesiologist’s can help people be more active. I remember at recess in my elementary school we had Daily Physical Activity (DPA). Everyday we had to walk around in a circle on the playground and walk and talk with people. This initiative was to get every student active, even if it was for 15 minutes a day. As technology advances there will be less and less we have to do. Allowing for sedentary to be the norm and along with it a lot of the chronic diseases that we hear about on a daily basis. So making time for daily physical activity will be crucial for the health and well-being of ourselves but especially our loved ones.
The audience I am speaking to are the ones who grew up with the knowledge that exercise is good, yet our parents and our elders didn’t grow up with that information. So our generation needs to help the older generation recognize this and help them. I know there has been a lot of disagreements but they didn’t know any better. Today we are blessed with the internet which provides us with a lot of information to help us make informed choices in our lives. I love my parents so much and they always wanted the best for me. They didn’t know any better about what was healthy or not. Now we need to give back to the older generation and empower them. Let’s be the bigger people and help our loved ones live longer and happier so we can spend more time together.
As National Kinesiology Week comes to a close I want to personally thank you for taking the time to read this article and this series. If you have read this far I want to personally thank you for taking the time out to read this article and invite you to share this article if you enjoyed reading it.
Hopefully this helps,
Spencer Raposo, R.Kin
I have expanded on this article. Read about it here: https://medium.com/@spennyraposo/kin-50-conference-2018-looking-back-moving-forward-cecef9cc1b1d
Looking to write the next Registered Kin Exam? Join the Registered Kinesiology Exam Prep Facebook group to gain more insight about what to expect: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RegisteredKinExamInfo/
Are you a Registered Kinesiologist in Ontario and enjoyed this article please share to bring awareness to what kinesiology is. Join our online community of other Registered Kinesiologists in Ontario at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RegisteredKinesiologistsOfOntario/
Join our Kinesiology Community here: Kinesiology Community Link
Resources:
CCUPEKA 2016 Position Statement: http://www.ccupeka.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/position-statement.pdf
R.Kin IPE Article: http://www.jieponline.com/article/S2405-4526(17)30016-2/fulltext
