Developing and implementing a public health co-research program for Special Olympics athletes

Research Involvement and Engagement

Comment

Tyler Jakab¹  Eric Rubenstein¹  Graham Bartsch¹  Anna-Mariya Kirova¹  Alexis Sokoloff²  Rachel Seymour²  Stephanie Corazzini²  Erin Delahunty² 

[1] School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA;Special Olympics Massachusetts, Marlborough, MA, USA;

关键词: Co-research;    Public health;    Special Olympics;    Intellectual and developmental disability;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40900-023-00450-5

 received in 2023-03-09, accepted in 2023-05-19,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often the subject of research while rarely being included in formulating research questions, planning studies, and making decisions related to protocols and analyses. In turn, most research regarding people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is not carried out by researchers with disabilities themselves. We developed a co-research training program where individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities were taught about research. The program was designed using best practices and existing materials resources. We recruited four participants from Special Olympics Massachusetts and conducted the training in the Fall of 2021. We evaluated the program with surveys, qualitative interviews, and tracking continued involvement of co-researchers in research projects. Participants were partners in the evaluation process. The training program was six sessions and included lessons about why research is important, how to conduct research, and an experiential learning project where co-researchers conducted a study of their coaches. The program was well received by participants, and one year later they were still involved with research projects. A co-researcher training focused on public health for Special Olympics athletes is feasible and beneficial for athletes, researchers, and Special Olympics programs. However, there are still barriers like a lack of funding and time, that need to be addressed to ensure wide program success.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

Fig. 6