Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2013
Publication Title
Journal of Applied Research on Children
Volume
4
Issue
2
Abstract
The camp experience has been an important American tradition for 150 years. In 2012, more than 11 million youth and adults attended an estimated 12,000 day and resident camps.1 Day and resident camp experiences differ; a typical day camp lasts roughly six to eight hours on any given day, while resident (overnight) camps operate 24/7 during a camp session. Youth and adults live at resident camp and are therefore in personal contact with one another for a longer timeframe than is typical of the day camp experience. Day or resident camp sessions can last from one week to up to eight weeks, with the average session lasting two weeks. Camp experiences contribute to a variety of positive youth developmental outcomes,2,3 but camp experiences also pose a risk for youth because of exposure to injuries and illness. Injury is a leading cause of the death of children,4,5,6 and childhood illness has a range of negative health, social, and financial impacts.7,8 Reducing the incidence of injuries and illness at camp is central to the provision of high-quality camp experiences.
Recommended Citation
Garst, Barry A.; Erceg, Linda E.; and Walton, Edward (2013) "Injury and Illness Benchmarking and Prevention for Children and Staff Attending U.S. Camps: Promising Practices and Policy Implications," Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 5. Available at: http://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol4/iss2/5
Comments
The Journal of Applied Research on Children is brought to you for free and open access by CHILDREN AT RISK at DigitalCommons@The Texas Medical Center. It has a "cc by-nc-nd" Creative Commons license" (Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives)