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The Special Olympics booklet Are You A Healthy Athlete? was named a winner in the National Health Information Awards |
The Special Olympics booklet Are You A Healthy Athlete? was selected as a winner in the prestigious 10th annual National Health Information Awards. The awards recognize the nation's best consumer health information programs and materials.
What makes this award all the more exceptional is the fact that it was created by two former Special Olympics athletes, Kester Edwards and Reneé Dease. Edwards and Dease currently are employed by Special Olympics at the movement's Washington, D.C., headquarters.
A key purpose of Are You A Healthy Athlete? is to enhance participation in Healthy Athletes® screenings held during Special Olympics competitions. It also is designed to educate Special Olympics athletes on being healthy and staying healthy, so they can do their very best in training, sports and competition. Because of Edwards and Dease's experiences and knowledge of Special Olympics, they were able to develop appropriate content for the booklet. Using colorful illustrations to help convey its message, the booklet is highly visual, which enhances its appeal and encourages participation.
The booklet, which has been translated into several languages (and is also available in a CD-ROM version featuring voice characterizations by Special Olympics' athletes and headquarters staff) has been distributed to Special Olympics athletes at various competitions since 2002, including the 2003 Special Olympics World Summer Games in Dublin, Ireland. The idea for the booklet came from Edwards, who said, "I knew that there were many athletes like me who had difficulties when it came to reading, so I suggested that the booklet have lots of pictures and words that were easy to understand."
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Pictured from left are Are You A Healthy Athlete? authors Reneé Dease and Kester Edwards, accompanied by Courtney Pastorfield, Manager, Health Promotion; David Evangelista, Manager, Healthy Athletes; and Dr. Stephen Corbin, Dean, Special Olympics University. On 13 November 2002, the Are You a Healthy Athlete? booklet was presented as part of a poster session for the American Public Health Association meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Edwards and Dease, represented Special Olympics and Healthy Athletes with the authenticity of subject-matter authors. "This is a proud beginning for our athletes around the world, as this booklet will help build awareness for their own health and also help to build a certain comfort level with what the Healthy Athletes initiative is," Dease explained to an interested attendee.
The Are You a Healthy Athlete? booklet was accepted into the Disabilities Forum poster session, which saw posters presenting research on a variety of different issues, many of which were directly applicable to the work of Healthy Athletes. Reaching beyond solely research, Healthy Athletes is committed to proactively distributing the booklet at athlete-based clinical screenings in order to increase awareness of the importance of overall health and fitness. |
Upon hearing of the award, Dr. Stephen Corbin, Dean of Special Olympics University (who also oversaw the creation of this booklet), remarked, "It's such an honor to receive this award. Since its inception, Are You A Healthy Athlete? has helped thousands of Special Olympics athletes learn more about proper health and nutrition. And the fact that two former Special Olympics athletes helped to create it is yet another strong testimony to the abilities of those with mental retardation."
The booklet is part of the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes initiative, which is designed to help Special Olympics athletes improve their health and fitness. Athletes receive a variety of health services through clinics conducted in welcoming environments at Special Olympics competitions, while health care professionals learn about the health needs of Special Olympics athletes and gain confidence and satisfaction in volunteering their skills to an underserved population. Health data gathered at events are important for planning, programs, gaining support and improving policies.
Coaches and athletes share their enthusiasm for Are You a Healthy Athlete. Special Olympics District of Columbia athlete Ricardo Thornton said, "Every Special Olympics family should have a copy of this booklet so they can work with their children towards becoming fit and healthy athletes." Special Olympics Delaware coach Jon Buzby agrees. "Are You a Healthy Athlete? is an exceptional resource for athletes of all ages and ability levels that need and want to improve their overall wellness," he said.
The National Health Information Awards program is coordinated by the Health Information Resource Center, a national clearinghouse for consumer health information programs and materials. The Center, which houses a large collection of such public and private sector materials, promotes the distribution of accurate, timely consumer health information materials to professionals and managers in the field. |
