Messengers and methods of disseminating health information among individuals with spinal cord injury: A scoping review

People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) are at elevated risk for a variety of secondary health complications and chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In order to develop effective health promotion interventions, researchers and practitioners can draw upon a knowledge mobilization (KM) perspective that emphasizes the initial need to identify credible messengers and effective methods for conveying health messages. Adopting the methodological framework proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005), we conducted a scoping review to identify preferred delivery methods and messengers for health and physical activity information for individuals with SCI. The review consisted of a systematic search for information using existing databases of the published and grey literature, consulting collaborating partners from the SCI community for relevant documents and information, and sending out requests on a range of relevant listservs. Overall, the scoping review found little explicit reference to KM theories in the existing literature and little systematic examination of the efficacy and effectiveness of different methods and messengers. While the results of the review will inform the development of physical activity interventions tailored to this population, the results also suggest some significant gaps in the knowledge base concerning how best to disseminate health information to people with SCI. © 2010 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.