Exercise as it relates to Disease/teaching resource/fact sheet tutorial

Writing a fact sheet tutorial

A fact sheet is typically an important, at-a-glance tool used in public relations to provide an overview of a large issue. Fact sheets can stand alone, but commonly supplement a news release, a chapter of a book, or replace a brochure. The point of a fact sheet is to get the reader to do something. More information than you need to convince them is a waste of the reader's time and risks losing their attention. Make it as easy as possible for them to take action.

Fact sheet elements

A fact sheet is generally one or two pages and includes “the who, what, when, where, why and how” about a chapter or event. Here are some tips on creating a fact sheet.

• One page is best
• Make it readable
• Keep the text brief - no one wants to read tons of information in a small font
• Keep the most important information in the first paragraph - what the issue is, what action is needed, and label the main message(s)
• Give references for more information - in electronic communications you can offer links
• The fact sheet must be self-contained - do not refer to previous documents or assume that the reader remembers the information
• Use bullets when you can
• Leave lots of white space
• Make it very clear what you want the reader to do - bold type face, text boxes, and graphics add emphasis
• Give the reader all the tools he/she may need to take action

Tutorial Steps

1. In groups of two discuss potential options for a fact sheet topic.
2. Find a majority view on what type of information would be useful for this fact sheet.
3. Determine what related information would be too much or not suitable to the fact sheet.
4. Discuss ideas on what visual aids could assist in the fact sheet.
5. Discuss what kinds of information people may want to know more about, but for which you don't have enough space on the fact sheet. How can you point the reader towards this further information?

Note that some of these points discussed above relate to style. For the purposes of this exercise, we ask you to only sytlise within the wiki (which is quite limited).

Here are some examples of health related fact sheets

• Black Dog Institute - Exercise and Depression (PDF). Note that the topic is broad and consequently too long for this assessment item, but the coverage in the sections is a good start.
• Sudden Death and exercise (PDF) is a one page SADS fact sheet, but I don’t think it covers the sections outline above and appears to only make recommendations without a background.
• Sports Medicine Australia, diabetes and exercise fact sheet (PDF). Similar to the depression fact sheet above, this covers sections well but is too broad in its approach for this assessment.
• British Health Service, exercise recommendations for children (PDF). covers recommendations very well.