Field Placement: Inglewood Inspiration Nutrition and Fitness Project
Location: Inglewood, CA
Preceptor: Dr. Joanne Leslie, Director
Student Name: Judith Mercado
Year: 2003


In an effort to decrease childhood obesity, this past summer a public health intern and I coordinated the Summer Fun & Fitness Camp at Holy Faith Episcopal Church in Inglewood, California. The goal of the Summer Fun and Fitness Camp 2003 was to improve the health and well-being of participants through nutrition education and physical fitness promotion.

The Summer Fun and Fitness Program took place at Holy Faith Episcopal Church as part of the Inglewood Inspiration Nutrition and Fitness Project. This project is funded through a California Nutrition Network Faith Channel Grant to Holy Faith Episcopal Church in an effort to promote physical activity and improved dietary habits.

In order to achieve this goal, we developed four objectives. The objectives of the Summer Fun & Fitness Program were: 1. to improve the nutrition knowledge of participants, with specific focus on the following areas: “5-a-day” fruits and vegetable consumption; food pyramid; serving size; and making better food choices; 2. to improve participants’ attitude toward nutrition and physical fitness by increasing their exposure to and experience of new things; 3. to improve the physical fitness of participants; and, 4. to improve the participants’ awareness of the importance of nutrition and physical fitness.

The evaluation of the Summer Fun and Fitness Camp consisted of the following components: 1. Nutrition and Fitness Pre- and Post-Test Questionnaires; 2. Fitness Assessments (sit-ups, push-ups, and a shuttle run); 3. Attendance Logs; 4. Nutrition Chart; 5. Participant Evaluation; and, 6. Evaluation Report.

A total of 37 children enrolled in the Summer Fun and Fitness Camp 2003. The Pre-Test Questionnaires displayed a high level of baseline nutrition knowledge. Seventy-five percent (21 out of 28) of participants correctly answered a number of basic nutrition knowledge questions, including questions about healthy food choices and the general nutritional content of select foods. A total of 14 Post-Test Questionnaires were completed. When the responses are compared as a complete group, there is an increase in responses to general nutrition knowledge, from 75% (21/28) to 85% (12/14) as well as a small improvement in personal nutrition habits. While about 40% (11/28) of camp participants named a healthy food as their favorite at the start of camp, at the end of camp 57% (8/14) identified a healthy food as their favorite. There was some visible increase in fruit and vegetable consumption as seen in the nutrition chart, with many participants increasing reported fruit and vegetable consumption from an average of two-a-day to an average of 3-a-day.

A total of 28 Pre-Test Questionnaires were completed. Out of the 28 participant questionnaires administered, 60.7% of participants correctly answered many of the basic fitness knowledge questions. A total of 14 Post-Test Questionnaires were completed. As with the nutrition questionnaire, there was a minor, but significant difference as far as the pre-test and post-test questionnaires are concerned. As a group, the fitness knowledge and behavior improved. From the basic fitness questions concerned with correctly differentiating between activities of more or less physical engagement at the end of the camp 100% of participants correctly answered the questions (60.7% at baseline). Furthermore, at baseline, 39.3% of participants correctly said 30min. at least 3 times a week. At the end of the camp, 64.3% of participants correctly answered.

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