World Physical Therapy Day 2009 activities - Jamaica

In celebration of World Physical Therapy Day the Jamaica Physiotherapy Association declared the week (September 6-13) to be Physiotherapy Week. It started with a church service and an advertisement in one of the more widely read newspapers regarding forthcoming activities, which included:

• a 15 minute radio feature on one of the most popular stations
• an interactive booth in one of the busy malls in the capital, Kingston. The booth had a station at which an exercise readiness questionnaire was administered, followed by an assessment of resting blood pressure and heart rate. Willing participants were given a low-level functional endurance test with exercise advice given at the end
• a mini-symposium under the theme 'Movement for Health' was held on 13th September. It was open to healthcare professionals and the general public with presentations given around topics such as: engaging in exercise after a heart attack, paediatric obesity, fighting middle-aged weight gain, return to sports after injury, exercise for the frail elderly, exercise for persons confined to wheelchair, determining and monitoring exercise intensity. The symposium also featured a 15 minute interactive exercise session led by a physical therapist. Presenters included physical therapists, a nutritionist, an endocrinologist and an athlete.