Effects of summer school participation and psychosocial outcomes on changes in body composition and physical fitness during summer break

Abstract

[Purpose]Evidence suggests that adolescents gain more weight during the summer break than they do during the school year, and that participation in the summer school program is beneficial in maintaining their healthy lifestyle. It is known that obesity and physical fitness in adolescents can be affected by their socio-economic and psychological status, especially during a long school break. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of summer school participation and psychosocial outcomes on changes in body composition and physical fitness in underprivileged adolescents during the summer break.[Methods]Body composition and physical fitness in 138 underprivileged adolescents were measured at the beginning and end of the summer break. A survey on socio-economic and psychological status was conducted at the beginning of the summer break. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests were used for data analysis. Pearson correlation analysis was performed to establish a relation between psychological outcomes and changes in body composition and physical fitness during the summer break.[Results]Significant increases in body weight (p = .003) and % body fat (p = .014) as well as a decrease in VO2max (p = .018) were found in summer school non-attendants during the summer whereas no significant changes were found in summer school attendants. Summer school non-attendants with lower psychosocial outcomes had a greater decline in physical fitness and weight gain; however, summer school attendants were not affected by psychosocial outcomes. The summer school program effectively prevented summer weight gain among underprivileged adolescents due to the structured environment, restricted food access, and scheduled time for exercise in addition to minimizing the effects of their psychosocial outcomes.[Conclusion]Results indicated that summer school non-attendants may require comprehensive intervention for psychosocial outcomes and nutritional education to maintain body weight and physical fitness levels during the summer break.

Project SWEAT (Summer Weight and Environmental Assessment Trial): study protocol of an observational study using a multistate, prospective design that examines the weight gain trajectory among a racially and ethnically diverse convenience sample of economically disadvantaged school-age children

“…Importantly, these results align with the Structured Days Hypothesis9 which posits that exposure to a non-independent or structured environment (eg, week days during the school year) is beneficial to a child’s obesogenic behaviours and weight status. Also, results from this previous study8 corroborate with other similar studies demonstrating that routine participation in structured programming during the summer—summer school10 or summer programming11–15—may be beneficial to child weight status.…”

From Kindergarten Through Second Grade, U.S. Children's Obesity Prevalence Grows Only During Summer Vacations

“…Many school‐based interventions have had little effect, and effective school‐based interventions tend to be those that do not just alter the school environment but also involve parents and try to change out‐of‐school behaviors such as watching television . There may also be underexploited potential in out‐of‐school interventions such as summer camps , summer learning programs , parent nutrition education , reductions in screen time , and reductions in child‐directed food marketing .…”

“…If obesity originates primarily inside schools, then we may hope to substantially reduce obesity through policies affecting school meals , competitive foods , physical education , and other programs affecting the school environment . But if obesity originates primarily outside of schools, then school‐based programs must try to shape out‐of‐school behaviors, and we must further emphasize out‐of‐school interventions to reduce screen time , limit child‐directed food marketing , promote out‐of‐school activities such as summer school and summer camp , and educate parents about nutrition .…”

Children’s Weight Gain and Cardiovascular Fitness Loss over the Summer

“…Summer camps have been shown to help students exceed national physical activity recommendations [25]. Additionally, summer school programming has shown the ability to protect students from weight gain and fitness loss when compared to youth not participating in these programs [26]. A barrier to summer camp participation is the cost.…”