Hearts N’ Parks was implemented at five summer camp programs for youth. Prior to the beginning of camp programs, an open house was held for parents and participants to explain the program and what type of activities the youth would be involved in. During the first week of camp, all sites participated in a special kickoff event to highlight health and fitness. Some camps ran all-day activities such as summer Olympics while others conducted trivia games that focused on health and fitness. Throughout the summer, a local nutritionist led fun activities about the USDA Food Guide Pyramid, fat, cholesterol, and how to read food labels. Healthy snacks were also provided. The heart-healthy eating information was reinforced by the staff throughout the week by playing food trivia games with the participants -- which they loved. All camps offered tennis lessons, swimming, and sporting activities. A few of the sites offered dance, sports, and cooking clubs.
Program Information
Name of program
North Park
Terry Park Camp
North Teens
Schandler Teens
Schandler Hall Traditional Summer Camp
Program start and end date
6/9/2003 to 8/1/2003
6/9/2003 to 8/1/2003
6/9/2003 to 8/1/2003
6/9/2003 to 8/1/2003
6/9/2003 to 8/1/2003
Number of times program met per week
5
N/A
5
N/A
5
Number of participants (total)
60
18
20
32
45
Number of male participants
38
N/A
8
N/A
30
Number of female participants
22
N/A
12
N/A
15
Target group
Child
Child
Adolescent
Adolescent
Child
Program focus
Physical Activity
Heart-Healthy Eating
Location of activities
Camp
-
After School
-
-
-
-
Other
-
-
-
-
-
Materials used
Information Handout
-
Lesson
Activity
Menus
-
Other
Game equipment
-
Food demonstration
-
Food demonstration
Public Visibility
Internal efforts to promote Hearts N' Parks programs:
Other: Flyers
External efforts to promote Hearts N' Parks programs:
Media Coverage:
N/A
Special Event(s):
N/A
Number of presentations: N/A
Other: Open house with parents and youth
Partners
Partners who contributed to youth programs:
Partner Name
Partner Contribution
Community Tennis Association
Provided tennis lessons two times per week at four sites.
Lee County & University of Florida Extension Services
Nutritionist presented sessions on heart-healthy eating at each site.
Harry Chapin Food Bank
Provided healthy, inexpensive food for cooking club and snack time, as well as free bread, vegetables, and fruit when available.
USDA Summer Food Program
Provided free lunch and snack at four of the five sites.
Performance Measures
North Teens Participant scores showed improvement in overweight/obesity attitude, heart-healthy eating behavior, heart-healthy eating intention, and physical activity level.
Schandler Hall Traditional Summer Camp Children's scores showed significant improvement in heart-healthy eating intention and moderate improvement in heart-healthy eating knowledge and behavior.
Terry Park Camp Children's scores showed significant improvement in heart-healthy eating knowledge, behavior, and intention.
Schandler Teens A comparison of the pre- and post-questionnaire results show that there was an improvement in the teens' scores in heart-healthy eating knowledge, behavior, and intention as well as overweight/obesity attitude, and physical activity level. This was attributed to several classes and activities that focused on healthy eating. Since this program was so sucessful, it will be continued for many more summers.
North Park Children's scores showed significant improvement in heart-healthy eating knowledge, behavior, and intention.
Scores also improved in the area of physical activity attitude.
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