A Collaborative Approach to Providing Healthy Food Access and Sustainable Physical Activity Opportunities at Boy Scouts of America Summer Camp

To measure impact of improved healthy food access and physical activity opportunities at summer Boy Scout camp, a four-week intervention to address nutrition and physical activity with youth (n=911) and adults (n=247) was conducted at Bashore Scout Reservation in Jonestown, Pennsylvania between June and July of 2016. Intervention components included dining hall menu modifications, healthy messaging, introduction of nutritious snacks available for purchase, and a physical activity challenge.

Menu modifications resulted in improved satisfaction scores related to portion sizes (+28%) and variety (+14%), decreased plate waste, and consistent food costs. Introduction of nutritious snacks at Trading Post resulted in increased satisfaction (+13%) and increased sales per person (+20%). Physical activity increased (+22%) as a result of a step competition between troops. Small changes towards a healthier camp were widely accepted and successful, indicating potential for translation to other camps within the organization.