How physically active are children attending summer day camps?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health
• Sports Science
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Summer day camps (SDCs) are significant settings for children's physical activity (PA) outside the academic year.
• Limited data exists on children's PA levels and contributing factors within SDC environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate children's PA levels during SDCs.
• To identify contextual characteristics within SDCs associated with varying levels of PA.

Main Methods:

• The System for Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth (SOPLAY) was used to assess PA (Sedentary, Walking, Vigorous) in children across multiple days in community-based SDCs.
• Simultaneous data collection on activity type, management, equipment, and indoor/outdoor settings.
• Mixed-model regression analyses were employed to examine associations between PA and contextual factors.

Main Results:

• Over 4600 observations of 2400+ children revealed PA opportunities constituted 38% of the SDC schedule.
• Children spent a significant portion of time sedentary (62-79%) during general camp time and PA opportunities.
• Water-based PA, available equipment, and free play correlated with increased PA, while waiting, staff instruction, and organized activities were linked to sedentary behavior.

Conclusions:

• SDCs possess modifiable characteristics that can influence children's PA.
• Enhancing staff training to facilitate active environments presents a practical strategy for increasing PA within SDCs.