Date Presented 03/26/20
This study conducted a program evaluation survey of an equine-assisted activities and therapy (EAAT) program to gain a deeper understanding of participants’ experiences, thoughts, beliefs, and judgments about progress with occupational performance goals and overall satisfaction. Evidence obtained through this study can be used by stakeholders including OT practitioners to better understand possible benefits from participating in an EAAT program and inform future programming.
Primary Author and Speaker: David LeVan
Additional Authors and Speakers: Katherine Kiss, Jessica Gaffney, Alexandra LaDuke, Lauren Flint
Contributing Authors: Anna Lacy
BACKGROUND: The American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) has emphasized the importance of discovering more effective interventions that reduce the impact of emotional and physiological challenges and improve health and well-being (AOTF, 2016). Equine-assisted activities and therapy (EAAT) refers to interventions that use horse activities or the horse environment to help people with physical, cognitive and emotional challenges find strength and independence (PATH International, 2019). Activities can include caring for horses, stable management, and using verbal or tactile commands when leading or riding the horse during function-based games.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to conduct a program evaluation of an EAAT program to better understand participants’ experiences, thoughts, beliefs, and judgments about progress with occupational performance goals and overall satisfaction. Evidence obtained through this study can be used by stakeholders including occupational therapy (OT) practitioners to better understand possible benefits from participating in an EAAT program and inform future program development.
DESIGN: This study used a program evaluation survey to collect quantitative and qualitative evidence. The paper survey contains a demographics section, five Likert scale and six open-ended questions. The population is a convenience sample of participants who completed the PATH certified Hope on Horseback (HOHB) program in Erie, PA from March to September 2019. The criteria and method of data collection was to have the HOHB staff administer the survey to participants or family representatives upon completion of the seven week program. Participants with challenges that disrupted communication were permitted to have a family representative complete the survey on their behalf. The participant or family representative had to be able to read and understand English, write responses, and return the survey via prepaid postage. This study was approved by an Institutional Review Board.
METHOD: The survey had 2 parts and content was based on previous literature and requested information by the HOHB facility for quality improvement. Part 1 included demographics and five Likert scale questions to assess program satisfaction, improvement in attitude and mood, and ability to bond with horses and other participants/instructors/volunteers. Part 2 included six open ended questions that addressed progress toward occupational performance goals and overall program satisfaction. Descriptive statistics were used to provide central tendency and relative positions for Likert scale responses. Open ended question responses were coded and analyzed for themes by each researcher and then as a group to reduce misinterpretation.
RESULTS: 11 surveys were analyzed from participants ages 11-46 (average age 23). Likert mean scores were 4.27-4.8/5 with the highest score in improvement of attitude and mood. Through thematic and conceptual qualitative analysis, five themes emerged regarding progress toward occupational performance goals and overall satisfaction: Desire to ride and advance in riding skills, increased overall social engagement, an improved sense of movement leading to greater self-efficacy, an opportunity for normalcy and separation from everyday life, and EAAT is beloved by many participants.
CONCLUSION/IMPACT: This study provides new insights on possible benefits from participation in a unique community based EAAT program. Participants reported improvements in emotional, physical, and psychosocial well-being that supported occupational performance goals and program satisfaction. Their responses provide opportunities for shared experiences and evidence for future participants and OT practitioners considering an EAAT program for their clients.
References
American Occupational Therapy Foundation. (2016). Building evidence to improve practice and health annual report 2015. Retrieved from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation website: https://www.aotf.org/Portals/0/aotfAnnualReport2015finalMdRes.pdf
PATH International. (2019). Learn about EAAT. Retrieved October 16, from https://www.pathintl.org/about-path-intl/about-path-intl
Pizzi, M.A, & Richards, L.G. (2017). Guest Editorial- Promoting health, well-being, and quality of life in occupational therapy: A commitment to a paradigm shift for the next 100 years. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71, 7104170010. http://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2017.028456
