title: Mealtimes at residential summer camps: What are camp staff doing to promote campers' healthy eating behaviors?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore camp staff's reports of their interactions with campers during mealtimes at residential summer camps.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-minute semistructured, face-to-face interviews with staff.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two residential summer camps in northeastern Pennsylvania.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two adult (>18 years of age) staff.
  
  
  METHODS
  Staff's perceived responsibilities, problems encountered, and feeding practices used during camp mealtimes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative interviews were analyzed using a hybrid analysis approach that combined deductive directed content analysis with inductive thematic analysis to identify themes and subthemes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of staff indicated their responsibility during mealtimes was to ensure that campers eat. Common problems mentioned were campers' tendencies toward picky eating and overeating. Staff reported a number of strategies to deal with common mealtime problems including reasoning, modeling, limits or rules, punishment/contingencies, and responding to campers' needs/preferences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most staff expressed concern about promoting campers' healthy eating behaviors. Although staff discussed several mealtime strategies that can be interpreted as adaptive in authoritative contexts, they need more guidance related to what they should and should not do during mealtimes. Avenues for future research to inform the promotion of healthier mealtime behaviors in camps are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Professions, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA. Electronic address: akventura@drexel.edu.
authors.forename: Alison K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ventura
authors.affiliation: Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anzman-Frasca
authors.affiliation: American Camp Association, Martinsville, IN.
authors.forename: Barry A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Garst
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D017195:Adolescent Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002165:Camping; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D053198:Child Nutrition Sciences / Q000193:education*; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D062407:Meals; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010414:Pennsylvania; D024382:Professional Role; D012621:Seasons
keywords: children; feeding practices; mealtime interactions; obesity prevention; summer camp