Abstract
The goal of the American Indian Youth Wellness Camp in a Box was to engage, educate and empower families to improve their health and overall well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Camp in a Box was a 9-week program, inclusive of a 1-week intensive camp component followed by an 8-week booster component with content focused on nutrition, mental health and physical activity education. The Camp in a Box is a Tribal/Urban Indian-University partnership, and materials were developed to replace an existing weeklong residential camp and to comply with social distancing guidelines. Fourteen American Indian families from Tribal/Urban Indian communities in the southwestern United States participated (36 children aged 2–18 years; 32 adults). The intensive camp week included daily materials for families to complete together, Monday through Friday. Materials were provided for approximately 4 h of activities per day. The booster sessions began after camp week and included approximately 4 h of supplementary activities designed to be completed at any time most convenient for the family over the course of the week. Activities were designed to encourage interaction among family members with materials and supplies for parents and youth to participate. Self-reported outcomes suggested that families changed their eating habits to include more vegetables, less sweets and junk food. Parents reported an increase in family physical activity and that the activities brought the family closer together. Our Camp in a Box program was feasible and well-received until school began. During camp week, 100% of recruited families participated; at Booster Week 8, ten families (71%) remained enrolled and active. Camp in a Box is a feasible alternative to residential camps for promotion of health behaviors associated with metabolic disease prevention among American Indian families. In contrast to residential camps for youth, Camp in a Box offers an opportunity to engage the entire family in health promotion activities.
Highlights
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored American Indian health disparities and the importance of primary prevention of comorbid conditions (Hatcher et al, 2020), many of which stem from obesity
The American Indian Youth Wellness Camp in a Box was a nineweek program made up of a one-week intensive camp with daily activities and eight weeks of booster materials and activities, all focused on healthy eating, mental health, physical activity education, and parenting support
The booster sessions began after camp week and included supplementary materials to continue healthy lifestyle education focused on nutrition, physical activity, mental health and parenting support
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored American Indian health disparities and the importance of primary prevention of comorbid conditions (Hatcher et al, 2020), many of which stem from obesity. The American Indian (AI) Youth Wellness Camp program was developed to address this critical need, based on the concept that the health of American Indian youth is broader than the absence of disease and includes psycho-emotional stress management (Minich and Bland, 2013). We previously developed a summer camp focused on promoting health and supporting American Indian youth and their families regarding healthy lifestyle changes, with an emphasis on physical activity, healthy eating, and mental health (Gachupin and Joe, 2017). The established residential camp program introduced and reinforced key health education topics for American Indian youth and communities. With the COVID19 pandemic, it was not appropriate to conduct the residential camp in its typical format; given the continued importance to continue to address obesity prevention among American Indian youth and their families, the remote, sociallydistanced Camp in a Box was developed. We did not change the educational messaging component of our camp program, we changed the implementation approach to ensure engagement was conducted in a safe environment
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