For decades, researchers have studied the rising rates of childhood obesity in the United States, where now one in five children are affected by epidemic. The prescription is always the same: limit screen time, eat a well-balanced diet, exercise.
UCF Associate Professor Keith Brazendale believes society is overlooking a simple intervention that could be a major game-changer for kids everywhere, so much so that the National Institutes of Health awarded him a $453,000 funding grant to move forward with his study.
The solution? Free summer camp for kids.
麻豆精品 S淭his won 麻豆精品 S檛 require 20 years in a lab, 麻豆精品 S� Brazendale says of his study over the next two summers. 麻豆精品 S淓verything is already in place to impact childhood obesity. I think that 麻豆精品 S檚 what raised so much curiosity from my proposal. Can it really be this simple? 麻豆精品 S�
Why Summer Camp?
麻豆精品 S淢y ultimate goal is to shift our mindset about how we improve the health of kids, 麻豆精品 S� Brazendale says from his office in UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Health Professions and Sciences, 麻豆精品 S渂ecause up until now, I believe we 麻豆精品 S檝e gotten it all wrong. 麻豆精品 S�
Getting it right has inspired Brazendale 麻豆精品 S檚 research across two decades, including his next project on combatting childhood obesity.
Brazendale 麻豆精品 S檚 project will bring together community pediatricians, organizers of summer day camps, and low-income families. Before the summers of 2026 and 2027 begin, the pediatricians will provide camp vouchers to 40 kids who meet certain weight and body mass index (BMI) criteria. Data collected before camp and after camp will build upon Brazendale 麻豆精品 S檚 Structured Day Hypothesis.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 clear that structure is enough to mitigate much of the weight gain we 麻豆精品 S檙e observing in American children. I 麻豆精品 S檓 hopeful a study like this will affect change in public health policy. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S� Keith Brazendale, UCF associate professor
麻豆精品 S淲e know what happens when kids have no structure, 麻豆精品 S� says Brazendale, a father of two. 麻豆精品 S淲hen schools closed during COVID, it became our largest experiment of unstructured days. Children 麻豆精品 S檚 obesity levels went through the roof. It 麻豆精品 S檚 clear that structure is enough to mitigate much of the weight gain we 麻豆精品 S檙e observing in American children. I 麻豆精品 S檓 hopeful a study like this will affect change in public health policy. 麻豆精品 S�
If this is true, then it raises the question, 麻豆精品 S淲hy have we overlooked a structured summer as a solution to childhood obesity? 麻豆精品 S�
Consider that more than 90% of past studies have taken place during the school year 麻豆精品 S� the most convenient time to find kids for research. The timing has led to a repetitive focus on school lunch programs and physical education. Brazendale, however, draws upon his own experiences with kids from low-income communities and believes that studies on schools may be occurring where a natural intervention is already happening.
麻豆精品 S淪chools actually do a great job because of structure built into each day 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淢eanwhile, we 麻豆精品 S檝e ignored 20 years of evidence showing weight gain and loss of fitness occurring during summer. 麻豆精品 S�
He 麻豆精品 S檚 referring to evidence which had become 麻豆精品 S渂ricks buried in a brickyard. 麻豆精品 S� It happens with a lot of studies. They 麻豆精品 S檙e filed away, waiting for another researcher to come along and dig them up years later. That 麻豆精品 S檚 how Brazendale began to learn about the link between summer breaks and childhood obesity.
麻豆精品 S淧ediatricians have reported for years that children are heavier toward the end of summer, 麻豆精品 S� he says. 麻豆精品 S淧eople my age think of summer as an active time when it really isn 麻豆精品 S檛, especially for kids whose families can 麻豆精品 S檛 afford pricey camps and club sports. So, let 麻豆精品 S檚 see what happens when we help them fill those empty weeks with free and fun structured activity. 麻豆精品 S�
Community Buy-In
If Brazendale 麻豆精品 S檚 hypothesis is correct, it could cultivate the kind of healthy long-term lifestyle Brazendale experienced while growing up in Scotland. His intrigue about children 麻豆精品 S檚 health brought him to study in the U.S., where his research momentum eventually landed at UCF. Among his first action items upon arriving was to contact pediatricians at Nemours and leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Florida.
麻豆精品 S淲hen I mentioned bringing all of us together as a potential health intervention for kids, they said, 麻豆精品 S榃e 麻豆精品 S檙e in, 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S� Brazendale says. 麻豆精品 S淗aving them involved means we have trusted people in the community to create bridges rather than hoping families respond to a researcher out of nowhere asking them to sign up for a study. 麻豆精品 S�
The research side will include experts from UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 College of Nursing, a statistician, a pediatrician and consultants from the University of South Carolina. They 麻豆精品 S檒l compare health markers for the 40 kids who attend summer camp with 40 kids who spend summer at home. Then they 麻豆精品 S檒l do it again with two more groups the following summer.
With additional funding, a second research phase would include hundreds of children nationwide. The results 麻豆精品 S� ripple effects would be monumental.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 麻豆精品 S渋n 2019, the estimated annual medical cost of obesity among U.S. children was $1.3 billion. Medical costs for children with obesity were $116 higher per person per year than for children with healthy weight. Medical costs for children with severe obesity were $310 higher per person per year than for children with healthy weight. 麻豆精品 S�
麻豆精品 S淚magine where this could lead, 麻豆精品 S� Brazendale says. 麻豆精品 S淧ediatricians would prescribe summer camp as medicine. The health of children would not be limited by family incomes. The research findings would encourage public policy to subsidize camp enrollment the way we do with Head Start. There would be relief on our medical practitioners and on our healthcare system. Childhood obesity rates would decline and long-term health would improve. 麻豆精品 S�
