American Indian Youth: A Residential Camp Program for Wellness

Authors

Francine C. Gachupin, University of ArizonaFollow
Jennie R. JoeFollow

Keywords

Cultural capital; nutrition education; 24 hour dietary recalls; youth risk behavior survey; body mass index; tribal partnerships; type 2 diabetes

Disciplines

Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Maternal and Child Health | Public Health Education and Promotion

Abstract

The American Indian Youth Summer Wellness Camp strives to increase physical activity and healthful eating among at-risk southwest American Indian youth. The Wellness Camp is one week in duration and involves youth, aged 10-15 years. Youth who attend camp are self-selected or referred by local tribal health programs. In any given summer, 35-60 youth attend camp. Approximately 20%-33% of youth return from one year to the next. We describe our program to increase healthy lifestyles among American Indian youth at risk for overweight, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Wellness Camp Program includes five primary components: (1) cultural capital, (2) structured education sessions, (3) anthropometric and risk behavior assessments, (4) physical engagement, and (5) health messaging. Within this article, we describe our program to increase healthy lifestyles among American Indian youth at risk for overweight, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Permissions

The University of Arizona Human Subjects Protection Program approved the study protocol.

Recommended Citation

Gachupin, Francine C. and Joe, Jennie R. (2017) "American Indian Youth: A Residential Camp Program for Wellness," Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice: Vol. 10: Iss. 4, Article 11.
Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/jhdrp/vol10/iss4/11