Confidence Boosted at Weight Loss Camp
Campers at Camp Endeavor felt a big boost in confidence this past summer. The results of a self confidence questionnaire administered as part of a pre- and post-camp evaluation points to increased confidence in situations and issues typically encountered by youth and teens who are overweight and obese. The 30 point questionnaire asks how confident campers are in handling food, physical activity, emotional stress, bullying, and interpersonal relationship issues at the start of camp and again at the end of camp. “Our goal is to empower campers so that when they return home they have the tools, the desire and the knowledge to make healthy choices throughout the day” says Dan Dingmann Co-Director of Camp Endeavor, the only non-profit, American Camp Association accredited, summer camp in the Midwest for youth who are overweight and obese.
These choices are critical to healthy weight maintenance because everyday Americans make an estimated 200 food related choices and almost that many activity related choices. Whether or not to eat a certain foods, how much to eat, when to eat it or what to do to be active, where and when the activity would take place or even deciding to take the stairs instead of the elevator are examples of choices encountered daily. Handling stressful situations, protecting one’s self from bullying, connectedness with friends and family and recognizing one’s own signals of hunger and fullness are also choices and issues that overweight and obese youth face on a daily basis. Healthy choices such as eating fresh foods, spending more time active with less screen time and managing stress become the new behaviors that result in weight loss and healthy weight maintenance.
The boost in confidence between the start and end of camp can be attributed in part says Dingmann,
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