Abstract
BackgroundEfforts to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity have approached the issue from many different angles, with a family approach being the gold standard. While most efforts focus on the parents, few have viewed the child as the agent of change. In this study, we explored the feasibility of implementing a cooking curriculum into a summer day camp to determine its reception and explore the potential of home reach.MethodsIn partnership with a local YMCA, a child-focused cooking curriculum was developed, designed to be delivered to various age groups with key nutritional messages. Interviews were conducted with participating children and their parents to determine acceptability and potential to influence the home environment as well as explore children’s understanding of nutrition and cooking topics.ResultsChildren in the study ranged from 7 to 15 years of age. Children overwhelmingly enjoyed the cooking camp and talked about it with their parents at home. Almost all parents had plans to try the recipes at home, and many had already made one or more of the recipes.ConclusionsIt is feasible to incorporate cooking lessons into a children’s summer day camp, with some evidence of reach into the home. Future studies should evaluate children as agents of change in cooking and meal preparation, and assess if this could increase the number and quality of family meals.
Highlights
The prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents over the past 30 years [1]; in children 6–15 years of age, the prevalence of obesity ranges from 18 to 21% [2], with severe obesity continuing to worsen in these age groups [3]
Summer day camp lasted 10 weeks, with the cooking curriculum occurring during the first 7 weeks; no parent or child refused to participate in interviews, and none opted for their child not to participate in interviews or in cooking classes
In this study, we explored the feasibility of implementing a cooking curriculum in the YMCA summer day camp; overall, the cooking classes fit well into the schedule and were well received by the child participants
Summary
The prevalence of obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents over the past 30 years [1]; in children 6–15 years of age, the prevalence of obesity ranges from 18 to 21% [2], with severe obesity continuing to worsen in these age groups [3]. One is a school-based approach, including providing healthy meals, educating students about nutrition, and/or encouraging physical activity as steps to prevent obesity [4] One advantage of this approach is it involves professionals skilled at educating and encouraging youth. It can be administered on a relatively large scale and incorporate many variables that contribute to childhood obesity We explored the feasibility of implementing a cooking curriculum into a summer day camp to determine its reception and explore the potential of home reach
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