Athlete Wellness

Delta Dental Healthy Athletes Program

Through the Delta Dental Healthy Athletes program, Special Olympics Wisconsin athletes can receive free health screenings at State competitions. Click here for more information about Healthy Athletes.

What is athlete wellness?

Athlete wellness is more than being able to perform and be successful in your sport. Wellness refers to an overall sense of well-being and a balance of the mind, body and spirit in order to prevent or minimize disease and live healthier, longer and productive lives.

Wellness is about being physically active every day, not just when you participate or train for your sport. Wellness is about eating healthy and making it part of your lifestyle. Wellness is about not smoking, wearing seatbelts, protecting yourself from illness and getting preventive screenings.

Take a look at the facts and see for yourself why wellness is so important:

Obesity is an epidemic that is worsening every year. 66% of US adults aged 20 years and older are overweight or obese. More than 50% of Special Olympians are overweight or obese.
46 million adults in the US (1 in 5) smoke cigarettes; more than half of them will die prematurely.
More than 60% of adults do not get enough physical activity. 1 in 4 adults are not active at all.
Nationwide, more than one-third of high school students watch television 3 or more hours per day on an average school day.
75% of the adult population consume more than the current recommendation for dietary fat.
Almost 25% of adults have high blood cholesterol levels - levels that are high enough to need intensive medical attention. More than half of all adult Americans have a blood cholesterol level that is higher than desirable.
Only 20% of teenagers consume enough calcium in their diets, increasing their risk for osteoporosis as they get older. 1 in 5 Special Olympic athletes have evidence of osteoporosis or weakened bones.
The prevalence of diabetes has been steadily increasing over the past 10 years among adolescents and adults.
Less than 25% of the US population consumes 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day despite a recommendation of twice that daily amount.
Nationally, only 18% of teens practice sun-safety behaviors all or most of the time.

Sources: Special Olympics Inc. and the Center for Disease Control

To learn more about wellness, visit the following Web sites:

For more information, contact
Melissa Schoenbrodt
Phone: (800) 552-1324 x216
E-mail: mschoenbrodt@specialolympicswisconsin.org