Effects of a One-Week Intensive Wellness Camp on Dietary Behaviors among Southwest American Indian Youth

Abstract

American Indians (AI) suffer the highest rates of diabetes in the United States (US); a chronic disease that is increasingly prevalent among AI children and is associated with increased risk of cancer. A summer camp was developed to improve disease risk-reducing behaviors, including diet, among AI youth in Arizona. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of a one-week intensive summer health camp conducted from 2016 to 2019 on change in dietary behaviors and compliance for Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) among AI youth. AI children aged 10 to 15 years from several Arizona tribes participated in one-week intensive residential camps. Participants engaged in a week of experiential learning focused on healthy eating and physical activity. Twenty-four hour dietary recalls were collected from AI youth by trained staff six weeks before and six weeks after camp. T-tests were conducted to analyze differences in mean intake pre-and post-camp. Diet recalls for 45 children (boys = 19, girls = 26) were included in the current analysis. Results showed a statistically significant reduction in median intake of total fat by 19.5% (P-value = 0.01), and saturated fat by 14.9% (P-value = 0.01). Further, a statistically significant decrease in median energy intake of 18.7% (P-value = 0.002), a 22.9% decrease in total fat (P-value = 0.01), and 22.3% reduction in saturated fat was observed among boys only. However, post-camp, a higher percentage of girls met guidelines for fruit intake (54% vs 26%), percent saturated fat (23% vs 16%), calcium (7% vs 0%) and whole grains (15% vs 0%), while a higher percentage of boys met guidelines for vegetables (63% vs 50%) and sodium (25% vs 23%). The AI health camp was effective at reducing energy intake (kcals/day), total fat (g/day) and saturated fat (g/day) among participants aged 10 to 15 years. The camp was observed to be more effective at decreasing energy, total fat, and saturated fat intake among boys.