Lifestyle Medicine as a Curricular Thread in Occupational Therapy Education: A Scoping Review and Discussion of Feasibility

Abstract

Occupational therapists (OT) are trained in interventions related to health and well-being, facilitating individuals in achieving occupational balance. This scoping review explored the current methods of disseminating Lifestyle Medicine (LM) knowledge in post-secondary health education and assessed the potential integration of LM principles into OT education. The review covered publications related to LM implementation in post-secondary health professions curricula. Six databases were searched. The authors conducted initial blind reviews of titles and abstracts, followed by a similar screening of full-text articles. Included full-text articles were obtained from university databases with the assistance of systematic review software. Among the 304 abstracts reviewed, 60 full-text articles were assessed, with 16 included in this scoping review. However, none of the programs in the literature were OT programs. The results show that the six pillars of lifestyle medicine were not equally emphasized in the reviewed programs, with social connection being the least addressed. However, OT education places importance on social connections, and the other pillars align well with the 2018 standards set by Accreditation Council of OT Education (ACOTE) and the parameters outlined in OT Practice Framework 4th Edition (OTFP-4). This alignment can be valuable for OT programs in meeting their accreditation requirements.