Maximizing the use of Special Olympics International's Healthy Athletes database: A call to action.
The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes database is open for business—request access and run large-scale health studies on people with ID.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Special Olympics staff and researchers met for one day. They talked about how to use the Healthy Athletes database.
The group picked three big next steps to turn the data into real-world help for athletes with intellectual disability.
What they found
The meeting ended with a clear to-do list: open the database to outside scientists, pick the most useful health facts, and share results with coaches and families.
The paper is a call to action, not a final answer. It tells readers the data set is ready and waiting.
How this fits with other research
Eussen et al. (2016) already proved the idea works. They pulled BMI numbers from the same database and found women athletes in Muslim countries gain weight with age while men slim down after 18.
MacRae et al. (2015) show why we need this data. Their review found diabetes rates in people with ID swing from 0.4 % to 25 % because no one tracks them the same way.
Lin et al. (2007) add urgency. In one Taipei facility, 29 % of adults with ID made over 25 clinic visits each year. Better data could spot and stop this drain.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with ID, you can tap free, large-scale health facts today. Email Special Olympics International, sign a data-use form, and download de-identified screens on vision, teeth, BMI, and more. Use the numbers to justify new clinics, write grants, or show insurance why your client needs extra visits. The work has already started—join it.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
There is a critical need for high-quality population-level data related to the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities. For more than 15 years Special Olympics International has been conducting free Healthy Athletes screenings at local, national and international events. The Healthy Athletes database is the largest known international database specifically on the health of people with intellectual disabilities; however, it is relatively under-utilized by the research community. A consensus meeting with two dozen North American researchers, stakeholders, clinicians and policymakers took place in Toronto, Canada. The purpose of the meeting was to: 1) establish the perceived utility of the database, and 2) to identify and prioritize 3-5 specific priorities related to using the Healthy Athletes database to promote the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities. There was unanimous agreement from the meeting participants that this database represents an immense opportunity both from the data already collected, and data that will be collected in the future. The 3 top priorities for the database were deemed to be: 1) establish the representativeness of data collected on Special Olympics athletes compared to the general population with intellectual disabilities, 2) create a scientific advisory group for Special Olympics International, and 3) use the data to improve Special Olympics programs around the world. The Special Olympics Healthy Athletes database includes data not found in any other source and should be used, in partnership with Special Olympics International, by researchers to significantly increase our knowledge and understanding of the health of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2018 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.12.009