Camp Pocono Trails is a camp that brings people looking to live a
healthier lifestyle into an environment where getting healthy is a fun
experience. Being one of the few camps that is ACA Accredited, it promotes
health, wellness, integrity, and learning. Health and weight management,
fitness and sports skills, nutrition and culinary skills, and self-esteem building
are just a few focus areas in the camp. Like Camp Pocono Trails, Kamp
K’aana provides activities to improve the self-esteem of the children. Kamp
K’aana instills benefits of physical activity and good nutrition in its campers,
and to give children and their families the tools to support a long-term
healthy lifestyle.1
Camp Pocono Trail offers daily structured physical activity classes led
by certified group fitness trainers that are able to adjust and modify certain
movements to different skill levels. These classes last 60 minutes. Campers
are weighed weekly in private to track their progress, however, no fitness
test is administered at the beginning and end of the program to see a more
in-depth progress report. The camp does meet nationally recommended
physical activity guidelines and is ACA accredited, which ensures practices
have been measured against national standards and go a step beyond a
state’s basic licensing requirements.2 The camp provides nutritional classes
1 Wong, William W*,‡; Abrams, Stephanie H†,‡; Mikhail, Carmen†,‡; Terrazas, Norma L†;
Wilson, Theresa A*,‡; Arceo, Diana‡; Mrowczynski, Paula K†; King, Kristi L†; Stansel, Amanda
D†; Albright, Ashley N†; Barlow, Sarah E†,‡; Brown, Kimberly O§; Brown, Jason D§; Klish,
William J†,‡. An Innovative Summer Camp Program Improves Weight and Self-esteem in
Obese Children. Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 49(4):p 493-497, October
2009. | DOI: 10.1097/MPG.0b013e31819b5da2
2 Fitness and sports. Camp Pocono Trails. 2022. https://www.camppoconotrails.com/fitness-
sports/
weekly for campers to learn about nutrition and gain hands-on experiences.
They learn about reading food labels, dining out, emotional eating and
behavior modifications. Not only do they learn, but they have the opportunity
to prepare healthy and delicious recipes that they are able to take with them
when they leave camp. All meals meet the MyPlate guidelines from the USDA
and portions are tailored to each camper and their needs.3 The camp puts an
emphasis on each camper leaving their camp with a higher self-esteem.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is an evidence-based help method is used
to help campers build self-esteem. Behavioral coaches work with the
campers to teach positive self-image and help campers gain self-esteem.4
Kamp K’aana had 4 physical and nutrition lessons that lasted one hour
each. These classes included aerobic exercise; rate of perceived exertion;
water and hydration; dairy, calcium requirement, and sources; fruits and
vegetables; grains; meat group; build-a-meal; dining out; get a grip on
portion size; food labels; and sugar in drinks. At the beginning and end of
the program, each camper’s body weight and height were measured. Their
BMI was then calculated. Their blood pressure and heart rate were also
measured. At Kamp K’aana, each child participated in the FITNESSGRAM and
PACER test. These were administered at the beginning and end of the
program to document their progress. 6 behavioral lessons were offered that
lasted one hour each. These included journaling, goal setting, understanding
3 Healthy living with food & nutrition education. Camp Pocono Trails. 2022.
https://www.camppoconotrails.com/food-nutrition/
4 Self-esteem at camp pocono trails. Camp Pocono Trails. 2022.
http://www.camppoconotrails.com/self-esteem-approach/
and changing eating patterns, listening to your body, body signals, joy of
eating, problem solving and planning, helping others help you, food
traps and food pushers, and positive thinking and preventing slip.
Kamp K’aana also had each child complete a Self-Perception Profile for
Children (SPPC) at the beginning and end of the program to document
any potential changes in self-esteem.1
As you can see, both camps have their own strengths and
weaknesses. They both emphasize the importance of self-esteem by
having their own technique in helping their campers. I think they both
do a great job of accomplishing this; however, I believe Kamp K’aana
administering the SPPC at the beginning and end of the program is a
great way to show any progress the campers make. Similarly, both
camps emphasize the important role nutrition takes in living a healthy
lifestyle. They both provide nutrition education to the campers;
however, I like how Camp Pocono Trails takes it a step further with a
hands-on approach for the campers to learn and make their own
healthy recipes to take with them after the program is over. In the
physical education aspect, Kamp K’aana provides a more in-depth
efficient program. Unlike Camp Pocono Trails, Kamp K’aana
administers fitness tests at the beginning and end of their program.
This provides campers with actual results to see the progress they
