Feasibility of a Community-based Exercise Intervention for Persons With Spinal Cord Injury

The CBEI group will receive 36 (60-90 minute) one-on-one, formally directed exercise sessions by trained staff over 12 weeks. By the end the goal is to have the participants guiding their own regimens. Personalized sessions will be created for each participant based on their fitness goal(s) and preferences. Each session will include vitals, pain assessment, warm-up, stretching, cardiovascular, and strength exercises and cool-down. The participants will be monitored to ensure they are achieving at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise 3 times a week. Activity monitors will also be worn to capture intensity data. At the end of each session, participants will describe their likes and dislike as well as what they gained and what they suggest for improvement. At the end of each session, the trainer will rate the participant's perceived participation during the session (1-6) using the Pittsburgh Rehabilitation Participation Scale.

The EEG group will complete an intervention that consists of a one-on-one, hour-long educational session orienting participants to an online resource center, the National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability (NCHPAD). NCHPAD promotes health and well-being for PwD through resources such as adapted exercise videos, information on accessible fitness equipment, personalized exercise videos tailored to PwD, and an individualized 14-week exercise program. Participants will be given an overview of NCHPAD and asked to identify resources of interest on the website. Each participant will be asked to use resources on NCHPAD to engage in physical activity for 12 weeks. Each participant will receive a weekly phone call to inquire about their physical activity, exercises engaged in, RPE during exercise, and whether any resources were used.