An Exploratory Study of 4th, 5th, and 6th Grade Summer Camp Participants’ Attitudes and Intentions Towards Physical Activity

Physical inactivity is a growing problem among children, particularly schoolaged youth. Research suggests children are especially prone to inactivity in the summer months when access to structured school-time and extra-curricular activities is reduced. Community programs like residential summer camp...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Melissa Cater, Anne Kean, Diane Sasser
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mississippi State University 2015-10-01
Series:Journal of Human Sciences and Extension
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/jhse/vol3/iss3/4/
Description
Summary:Physical inactivity is a growing problem among children, particularly schoolaged youth. Research suggests children are especially prone to inactivity in the summer months when access to structured school-time and extra-curricular activities is reduced. Community programs like residential summer camps offer an excellent environment for engaging children in enjoyable physical activities while also helping them learn to be more physically active when they return home. Pre-existing attitudes often influence how much change a program inspires in an individual. The purpose of this study was to explore 4th, 5th, and 6th grade summer camp participants’ attitudes towards physical activity. Results of this study indicate that youth have a fairly neutral, though positive, attitude towards physical activity and that parental support of physical activity is still extremely important, even at this age. Campers also indicated relatively high intentions to remain physically active in the two weeks after the camp ended.
ISSN:2325-5226