Healthy Camp Study
Lessons learned in the Healthy Camp Study continue to be relevant to camps as we strive to create healthy camp communities. Beginning in 2006, and continuing through the summer of 2010, the American Camp Association undertook a five-year surveillance study of injuries and illnesses in day and resident camps. The Impact Report as well as various other articles written as a result of the study can act as guidelines in health and safety at camps. The current ACN research study on fatigue had it’s roots in the Healthy Camp study.
“The key to injury prevention is constant observation and reporting of incidents, and an ongoing evaluation of the “who, what, when, where, and why” of each incident. Pattern recognition is key.”
- Healthy Camp Study Impact Report
- Injury and Illness Benchmarking and Prevention of Children and Staff Attending US Camps: Promising Practices and Policy Implications (Garst, Erceg, & Walton, 2013)
- An Injury and Illness Surveillance Program for Children and Staff: Improving the Safety of Youth Settings
- Healthy Camps: Initial Lessons on Illnesses and Injuries From a Longitudinal Study
- Policy Statement – Creating Healthy Camp Experiences

Visit the Research Initiatives page for more resources from the Healthy Camp Study
Promising Practices learned from the Healthy Camp study