PHYSICAL THERAPISTS AND PHYSICAL THERAPY STUDENTS IMPLEMENT ANATOMY ACADEMY PROGRAM AIMED AT HEALTH AND FITNESS PROMOTION TO CHILDREN IN A RURAL AREA

Children in rural communities experience health and education disparities. Early exposure to health-promoting habits can positively impact future health habits. Healthcare providers who grew up in rural areas are more likely to practice in rural areas. We aimed to conduct a Rural Anatomy Academy to provide physical therapy students with experiences communicating health promoting habits and anatomy to children and to assess the children's interest in pursuing a healthcare career and knowledge of Anatomy Academy content before and after the program. A 40-minute lesson was delivered weekly for seven weeks by four physical therapy students and two physical therapists to fourth grade children at a rural Nevada elementary school. A cohort study design was used to collect data from the fourth grade children using a twenty question validated survey. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests were used to compare pre- and post-survey data among all participants. Study participants reported increased interest in health care and increased knowledge of some anatomy and health habits content following Rural Anatomy Academy. Physical therapists and physical therapy students can provide children in rural communities with knowledge about health promotion and fitness through programs such as Rural Anatomy Academy, creating opportunities for future healthcare leaders in rural areas.