The following is excerpted from an online article posted by MedicalXpress
In a paper that appeared in JAMA Pediatrics, the team previously showed that free summer programming reduced BMI gains. Specifically, children who attended the free camp decreased their BMI while children who experienced a typical summer saw increases.
In a recently updated article published in The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, their analysis revealed that the positive impacts of camp participation extended to health-promoting behaviors such as increased physical activity and reduced sedentary and screen time.
Collectively, these outcomes provide evidence for the use of free summer care to promote health equity among children from different socio-economic groups.
“Our research demonstrates that accessing readily available summer day camps within a local community can serve as a viable solution to address the decline in health behaviors observed during summer.”Source:
MedicalXpress
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-03-free-summer-gap-healthy-behaviors.html