Recruitment:

This study will recruit a sample of 20-70 families at each site. Each family will include a Special Olympics Athlete and at least one care provider. The research team is partnering with the local Special Olympics team through an established relationship with the Family Health Advisory Committee to advertise the study. The study will be advertised to all Special Olympics families with the study goals and eligibility criteria included in all materials.

Interested individuals will contact the research team for a thorough description of the study and Special Olympics athletes and care providers will have the opportunity to ask questions. At the end of this meeting, care providers will be provided a consent form approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of Houston. To further ensure that all information is understood, care providers will have an additional individual meeting with a research coordinator and be asked to read and sign a written consent form if they consent to the participation of their child.

Separately from their parents, athletes will be provided the opportunity to ask questions regarding study participation on an individual basis. A research coordinator will be available to address any concerns. After this, athletes who agree to assent will be asked to provide their assent for study participation by signing an assent page of the informed consent. Both parental consent and athlete assent will be required for participation in the study. This dual consent/assent process is intended to ensure that both parents and athletes are informed and willing to participate in the study.