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Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Abstract

Introduction: Children in the United States face declining physical activity, poor nutrition, and increasing mental health concerns. As school time for wellness declines, out-of-school programs offer an alternative to promote healthy habits to students. A community-driven, multi-component after-school wellness camp was developed in response to a small-town needs assessment and implemented at a local elementary school to determine whether it would change participants’ beliefs held towards healthy habits.

Methods: Third to fifth graders at a local elementary school in Lowell, Michigan, participated in an after-school wellness camp for four weeks through education and hands-on activities focused on physical activity, nutrition, and social-emotional health. Pre- and post-surveys were given during camp to assess attitudes and beliefs of these activities.

Results: Twenty-Two (n=22) students enrolled, with 17 that completed both a pre- and post-survey. Notably, 86% of participants reported, “It is important to make healthy choices”. On a 10-point Likert scale, participants showed a 1.92 increase when asked about perceived peer acceptance, and a 1.31 increase on whether their family encouraged them to be healthy. Social-emotional health showed the strongest increase, with neutral or slight decreases in nutritional health beliefs. Conclusions: Results support the previous literature and the hypothesis that participants will self-report more positive attitudes on health and self-efficacy after participating in the after-school wellness camp. This offers a viable, low cost, community-based approach to improving wellness and supporting healthier habits for children in Michigan.

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