Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Programming at Overnight Summer Camps

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of an eight-week nutrition and physical activity intervention, entitled: “My Healthy Habits”, at summer camps to prevent obesity, reduce screen time, promote healthy eating habits and physical activity among children. Material and Methods: Eight-week pretest-posttest: intervention versus a comparison group was conducted, in two comparable summer camps in Kuwait and randomized at the site level. Convenient sampling (n=79) included children aged 6-10, receiving 8 weeks of nutrition education: 2 days/week, 40 minutes/day and physical activity sessions: 4 days/week for 20 minutes/day. Outcomes included: the Modified Healthy Habits Survey (items about diet, physical activity and sedentary behavior) and anthropomorphic: Body mass index (BMI) for age and gender percentile and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR). Group changes were measured by independent t-test, and within group changes by the McNemar’s test (categorical data) and paired t-test (interval data). Results: Significant increases in nutrition knowledge scores (from 4.3±1.7 to 10.5±1.2) and in the total score of the major food groups (from 10.0±2.6 to 13.7±2.2) were observed from pretest to posttest. Healthy eating significantly increased (from 12.8±1.8 to 14.5±1.5) for the intervention group only; however, intake of French fries, chips (FF) and sugarsweetened beverages (SSB) remained the same for both groups. Physical activity increased and screen time decreased,only in the intervention group. The participants’ BMI and WHtR decreased significantly in the intervention group: p-value=0.001. Conclusion: Healthy food and physical activity increased, while screen time decreased. Consumption of unhealthy food (FF and SSB) remains an issue.

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Camp Abilities: Accessibility and Virtual Summer Camps

Journal of Park and Recreation Administration ◽

10.18666/jpra-2021-10752 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Lepore-Stevens ◽

Devin Adams ◽

Monica Lepore ◽

Elizabeth Foster

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Summer Camp ◽

Visual Impairments ◽

Leadership Teams ◽

Text Messages ◽

Summer Camps ◽

Digital Platforms ◽

Community Activities ◽

Active Lifestyles ◽

Physical Activity Programming

Youth with disabilities are less likely to participate in community activities than their nondisabled peers (Bedell et al., 2013). For participants with physical disabilities, summer camp can increase knowledge of one’s own abilities (Aggerholm & Moltke Martiny, 2017). Camp Abilities is an international sports camp model that recognizes the ongoing challenges that people with disabilities have with respect to accessing physical activity and living active lifestyles. There are over 25 independent camp programs throughout the world with a mission of providing high quality sport, health, and physical activity programming to youth with visual impairments. In the summer of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused many camps to close their in-person sessions. In order to continue summer camp programming for the youth they serve, the staff at several Camp Abilities programs for youth with visual impairments developed a virtual service delivery model based on collaboration between physical activity and visual impairment processionals. Staff used digital platforms such as YouTube and Zoom, as well as emails, text messages, and video chats to safely create a camp experience despite the pandemic. Both camps had positive responses to the virtual model from children, parents, and staff. Leadership teams at both programs discovered methods that were successful for their participants, as well as some approaches that they would not use again.

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