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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Tamar Heller, PhD¹, Beth Marks, RN, PhD¹, Courtney Pastorfield², Jasmina Sisirak, MPH¹, and Kueifang (Kelly) Hsieh, PhD¹. (1) Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 W. Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL 60608, 312-413-1647, theller@uic.edu, (2) NA, NA, Great Falls, VA -

Health screenings conducted during the 1999 and 2001 World Special Olympics (SOI) Games showed that many of the athletes with intellectual disabilities (ID) were overweight or obese; and surveys indicate that that athletes need more fitness training than they receive from their sports practices. In 2002, SOI initiated five locally-based health promotion pilot programs for athletes that lasted for multiple weeks across the U.S. to test different strategies aimed at improving physical fitness and lifestyle behaviors and to determine if there could be effective predictors of program success (N = 56; mean age of 32 years). Qualitative and quantitative findings are presented for the following areas: 1) health status and health behaviors among SOI athletes; 2) program satisfaction among coaches and athletes; and, 3) process and structural variables associated with implementation of health promotion programs within SOI. Although projects had many different approaches, many positive psychosocial and health benefits emerged across the sites. Significant changes from baseline to follow-up immediately after the health promotion programs included: improved perceived health, reduced body weight, increased fiber intake, improved self-confidence, more positive attitudes toward exercise, and decreased barriers to exercising. Several themes emerged related to implementing health promotion programs, such as obtaining buy-in from athletes, coaches, family members, and caregivers to insure ongoing support; implementing structured recruitment strategies; formalizing existing relationships; and, identifying and incorporating time, money, and transportation constraints, and assessment protocols into the program design. Results support the need to broaden health promotion programs to more community-based settings.

Learning Objectives:

• • Discuss evaluation methods for community-based health promotion programs.
• • Describe different types of community-based health promotion programs.
• • Identify strategies for implementing health promotion programs.

Keywords: Health Promotion, Exercise

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation