Providing Healthy Food Access and Physical Activity Opportunities at Boy Scouts of America Summer Camp

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center1,158 enrolled

Overview

To measure impact of improved healthy food access and physical activity opportunities at summer Boy Scout camp, a four-week intervention to address nutrition and physical activity with youth (n=911) and adults (n=247) was conducted at Bashore Scout Reservation in Jonestown, Pennsylvania between June and July of 2016. Intervention components included dining hall menu modifications, healthy messaging, introduction of nutritious snacks available for purchase, and a physical activity challenge. Menu modifications resulted in improved satisfaction scores related to portion sizes (+28%) and variety (+14%), decreased plate waste, and consistent food costs. Introduction of nutritious snacks at Trading Post resulted in increased satisfaction (+13%) and increased sales per person (+20%). Physical activity increased (+22%) as a result of a step competition between troops. Small changes towards a healthier camp were widely accepted and successful, indicating potential for translation to other camps within the organization.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

1,158

Conditions

Childhood Obesity

Interventions

Focus Group with ParticipantsBEHAVIORAL

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age: ≥18 years 2. Sex: Male or female 3. Fluent in written and spoken English 4. Boy Scout staff, troop leader or parent of Boy Scout camper Exclusion Criteria: 1. Not Fluent in written and spoken English 2. Non Boy Scout stafftroop leader or not a parent of a Boy Scout camper 3. Decisional impairment

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Efficacy of intervention as assessed through focus groups and evaluation surveys

Feedback from troop leaders informed researchers concerning how scouts felt about and how receptive scouts are to healthy initiatives.

Time frame: June 2016- August 2016