2016 Summer Reading Theme of Wellness, Fitness, and Sports

Posted by Carolyn Martin on April 25th, 2016 Posted in: Health Literacy, Public Health

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This year’s summer reading slogan from the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSL) is focused on health and wellness. Many public libraries have already begun their program planning. The National Library of Medicine health resources are a great way to help in the planning and supplementing of programs and activities following this theme.

MedlinePlus covers a wide range of topics including Healthy Living, Exercise and Physical Fitness, Sports Safety, Child Nutrition and more.  MedlinePlus even has pages of health topics focused specifically on children’s and teen health topics and specific topic pages written just for teens and just for children. These health topic pages include health tips that can be incorporated into health and wellness activities and programs.  Your programs can include collaborating with local organizations and professionals who focus on health and wellness whether it is to lead a program on cooking for weight loss, learning about preventing concussions in school sports or leading a yoga class. These MedlinePlus pages can help supplement such programs in the form of handouts, special webpages with links, newsletters or social media.

Summer reading isn’t just for kids. NIH Senior Health is another great resource for information to include on programs for older adults in your communities. MedlinePlus also have topic pages specifically for Seniors but NIH Senior Health is a great resource on its own. This resource includes ways to improve usability for those who may have visual difficulties.  The text can be made larger and the web page contrast can be changed to make it easier to view.  Videos are also included on several health topics so if reading is difficult this might be an alternative. Information about the importance of health through exercise includes videos to try.

The National Institute on Aging has an extensive amount of information for Seniors about health and safety as we age including information in Spanish. Go4Life is an exercise and physical activity campaign from the National Institute on Aging. This great website includes information about snacking better, balance exercises, motivation tips and more focused specifically for older adults.  Consider having programs this summer for Seniors only and include one where tools such as this website might be helpful in maintaining Senior health. Want to focus on brain health?  The National Institute on Aging has a Brain Health Resource Toolkit for educators.  Feel free to use this toolkit in ways that would fit into your Senior health programs.  It includes a power point presentation, handouts, educator’s guide and supplementary resource list.

And don’t forget NIH MedlinePlus Magazine.  It is published quarterly and is directed for the general public covering a wide range of health topics and often feature a celebrity who is helping to bring awareness to a health condition that affects themselves or a family member.  These magazines are great to add to your library collection or to have available for your patrons.  It is available online or can be ordered in bulk, free.  It is also available in Spanish. These magazines can be included in your summer reading programs that focus on health and fitness as a take home item or as a way to introduce a health topic to your community. At a recent conference an attendee was perusing the items on our table and commented that Crohn’s Disease was very common in her town.  A summer reading program might focus on this community health concern with a presentation from the local health clinic bringing health education through the library reading program and distributing this issue of MedlinePlus Magazine that features this topic.

There are many ways to incorporate health and wellness for all ages into your summer reading programs and the National Library of Medicine resources can help add quality information in helping your patrons become healthier individuals and in turn becoming healthier communities. Questions or want to know more?  Just let us know, we’d be happy to help.