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Category
Multicultural Impact
Annual ID
OS23_CD026M
About the Work
This is a story of how a small Canadian charity, the Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS), helped create meaningful change in the medical community by proving the effects of increased physical activity on increased cognition within the Down syndrome community.
The current Down syndrome generation is going to be the first to outlive their parents. As recently as 1983, the average lifespan of a person with Down syndrome was 25 years, today the average is 60 years or longer. For most, this means outliving their primary support system.
However, they are on the cusp of living independently. If regular exercise leads to improved cognition, this would allow many members of the community to live on their own, with little to no supervision. Improved cognition would better equip them to develop the necessary routines and structures they need to live independently; routines and structures that we all take for granted.
Many doctors advise their patients with Down syndrome NOT to exercise. Their list of reasons is long: decreased muscle tone, hyper flexibility in their joints, heart defects that must be corrected at birth. But they are based on outdated evidence and underestimating what they can accomplish.
Anecdotally, we know that fitness holds the power to improve cognition for people with Down syndrome, but it’s never been scientifically proven. So, we set out to close the research gap. CDSS partnered with their ad agency and together they gathered the required experts, created a world’s first app, and recruited 200 people with Down syndrome to collect the required scientific data to prove the importance of fitness and legitimize it as a prescribed therapy.
Athletes with Down syndrome have shown that fitness has the power to not only strengthen the body, but also the mind. Down syndrome athletes, like Ironman Chris Nikic, have observed strengthened memory, enhanced learning, boosted social skills, and increased confidence – all of which allow for a more independent lifestyle. Even a slight increase in cognition can lead to an incredible shift in quality of life.
CDSS’s objective was to prove the importance of fitness for people within the Down syndrome community, so it can become widely encouraged by doctors, parents, and society at large.
The Mindsets Paper Results:
Prove the importance of fitness through research and data:
200 eligible participants recruited from 4 different continents, successfully achieving our research goal of becoming the first ever, statistically-significant study on exercise and cognition within the Down syndrome community.
Initial data has showed life-changing improvements across the following metrics:
89% improvement in cognitive tests, a statistically significant improvement
63% reported improvements in Verbal Communication
50% reported improvements in Numeracy Skills
75% reported improvements in Self Confidence
63% reported improvements in Reading Ability
64% reported improvements in Day-to-day Life
The completed research study has begun to be shared at world-renowned conferences and will be published in accredited medical journals in early 2023 to ensure physical activity becomes a prescribed therapy for people with Down syndrome.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
FCB / Toronto
Art Director
Jerry Yang
Copywriter
Jon Dawe
Chief Creative Officer
Jeff Hilts
Nancy Crimi-Lamanna
Danilo Boer
Director
Mark Domitric
Editor
Jon Garofalo
Executive Creative Director
Andrew MacPhee
Jeremiah McNama
Music Supervisor
Rich Hamilton
Account Supervisor
Ilaria Ragno
Associate Creative Director
Marty Hoefkes
Michael Morelli
Engineer
Brian Bernard
Project Manager
Cori Pettit
App Design
Joni Allert
Thomas Colliers
Audio Producer
Kelly McCluskey
Board Member
Ben Tarr
Camera Operator/Photographer
Chet Tilokani
CEO
Dr. Henry Mahncke
Chair
Ed Casagrande
Chief strategy Officer
Shelley Brown
Co-founder
Jeff Zimman
Director of Strategy
Eryn LeMesurier
Director/DOP/Camera Operator
Scott Drucker
Group Account Director
Blake Connolly
Interim Executive Director
Laura LaChance
Marketing & Communications Manager
Kristen Halpen
PR
Shannon Stephaniuk
Production Artist
Dominic Pimpare
Douglas Hayter
Proofreader
Jayne Heaton
Research Assistant
Vivan Merzbach
Research Chair, Associate Professor
Dan Gordan
Researcher
Mouna Attarha
SENIOR PRODUCER
Adriana Laborde
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