First year physical activity findings from turn up the HEAT (Healthy Eating and Activity Time) in summer day camps

Abstract

BackgroundSummer day camps (SDCs) serve 14 million children yearly in the U.S. and aim to provide participating children with 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). This study evaluated an intervention designed to increase the percent of children meeting this MVPA guideline.DesignTwo-group, pre-post quasi-experimental.Setting/ParticipantsTwenty SDCs serving 1,830 children aged 5–12 years were assigned to MVPA intervention (n = 10) or healthy eating attention control (n = 10).InterventionThe STEPs (Strategies to Enhance Practice) intervention is a capacity-building approach grounded in the Theory of Expanded, Extended and Enhanced Opportunities. Camp leaders and staff receive training to expand (e.g., introduction of activity breaks/active field trips), extend (e.g., schedule minimum of 3 hours/day for PA opportunities), and enhance (e.g., maximize MVPA children accumulate during schedule activity) activity opportunities. Camps in the comparison condition received support for improving the types of foods/beverages served.Main outcome measuresPercent of children accumulating the 60min/d MVPA guideline at baseline (summer 2015) and post-test (summer 2016) measured via wrist-accelerometry.ResultsMultilevel logistic regression conducted fall 2016 indicated boys and girls attending intervention SDCs were 2.04 (95CI = 1.10,3.78) and 3.84 (95CI = 2.02,7.33) times more likely to meet the 60min/d guideline compared to boys and girls attending control SDCs, respectively. This corresponded to increases of +10.6% (78–89%) and +12.6% (69–82%) in the percentage of boys and girls meeting the guideline in intervention SDCs, respectively. Boys in comparison SDCs increased by +1.6% (81–83%) and girls decreased by -5.5% (76–71%). Process data indicated intervention SDCs successfully extended and enhanced PA opportunities, but were unable to expand PA opportunities, compared to control SDCs.ConclusionsAlthough substantial proportions of children met the MVPA guideline at baseline, no SDCs ensured all children met the guideline. This intervention demonstrated that, with support, SDCs can help all children in attendance to accumulate their daily recommended 60min MVPA.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02161809

Physical Activity during the School Holidays: Parent Perceptions and Practical Considerations

“…Child participation in organised sports during term time has been shown to be associated with higher levels of MVPA [35]. Additionally, existing intervention studies have shown that holiday clubs do have the potential to increase PA [17,36]. However, this effect is not consistent and may only be applicable to boys [17].…”

“…Additionally, existing intervention studies have shown that holiday clubs do have the potential to increase PA [17,36]. However, this effect is not consistent and may only be applicable to boys [17]. More work is needed to ensure consistency in the quality of holiday club provision with a particular focus on engaging less active children (e.g., girls).…”

“…The limited evidence of the physical activity acquired whilst at a holiday club indicates they may also help children to meet the recommended levels of MVPA [15]. Evidence from intervention studies suggests holiday clubs show promise for increasing holiday physical activity levels in primary-school age children [16,17] and may have particular benefits for girls [17]. Additionally, organised activities during the school holidays may be particularly beneficial for young people’s mental health and well-being [18].…”

The State of the Summer: a Review of Child Summer Weight Gain and Efforts to Prevent It

“…Several other interventions show promise in promoting health behaviors in the camp setting. A large intervention to expand, extend, and enhance opportunities for PA in summer day camps increased the percentage of children attaining 60 min of physical activity each day at camp by more than 10% [62]. The Healthy Lifestyle Fitness Camp, a free summer day camp in Fresno, CA, for overweight and obese youth, provided 3 h of daily moderate physical activity, healthy snacks, and nutrition education [63].…”

“…An evaluation of 46 participants showed increases in overall daily PA and MVPA and substantial decreases in sedentary time, though favorable changes in BMI z-score were not observed [64]. Providing camp staff with competency-based professional development, designed to foster skill building as opposed to rote knowledge, can also support healthy eating and physical activity in summer day camps [62, 65]. Recent studies show that there is room for improvement in the nutritional quality of foods served in camp and brought by campers [66, 67], so efforts to improve the camp food environment are particularly important.…”