Search

Objective. To describe physical activity (PA) interventions implemented in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in the United States and Canada.Data Sources. MEDLINE, PubMed, ERIC, and Sociological Abstracts were used to identify peer-reviewed journal articles. Dissertation abstracts, Web sites, and conference proceedings were searched to identify descriptions within the gray literature from 1986 to 2006.Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria. The target population had to be described as AI/AN, aboriginal, native Hawaiian, and/or native U.S. Samoan. PA interventions among indigenous populations of Latin America were not included.Data Extraction. Descriptions of 64 different AI/AN PA interventions (28 peer-reviewed journal articles and 36 in the gray literature) were identified.Data Synthesis. Data were synthesized by geographic region, intervention strategy, target audience, activities, and sustainability.Results. Most interventions were conducted in the southwest United States (35.4%), in reservation communities (72%), and among participants 18 years and younger (57.8%). Forty-one percent of the 27 interventions with evaluation components reported significant changes in health, behavior, or knowledge.Conclusions. Effective AI/AN PA interventions demonstrated impact on individual health and community resources. Program sustainability was linked to locally trained personnel, local leadership, and stable funding. Culturally acceptable and scientifically sound evaluation methods that can be implemented by local personnel are needed to assess the health and social impact of many long-running AI/AN PA interventions.

Background Over the past 10 years, the nation has witnessed a significant increase in the number of physician assistant (PA) education programs. Primary care shortages throughout the United States have reached a staggering deficiency. The purpose of this project was to expand the primary care workforce in the Commonwealth of Virginia by increasing exposure to primary care setting early in the academic didactic year of physician assistant schooling.Methods This innovative research project originated in 2017 and was inclusive of PA students ranging from 20 to 44 years of age, across multiple demographics, conducted during the first year of didactic studies. This cross-sections study examined a total size of 115 students over from three different cohort years that participated in the free medical clinic completed a pre/post exposure survey.Results This study highlighted that an increased exposure to primary care in the early didactic phase of physician assistant graduate studies yielded a moderate increase in the interest to pursue a career in primary care upon graduation. Throughout the 2016 to 2017, 2017 to 2018, and 2018 to 2019 academic cohorts, 19% more from baseline indicated at the end of their primary care experience that they were more likely to practice in the field of primary care following the free medical clinic experience.Conclusions This study demonstrates a positive influence of early exposure to primary care for Physician Assistant students with the increased affinity to practice in the field upon graduation and has set a foundation for continuation of data collection in future PA cohorts.