The purpose of this study is to provide an insight of the contribution the intervention, Camp Fanoe, gives to the participating families. Overweight and obesity is seen as a major threat to public health and it constitutes one of the major health problems worldwide. The phenomenon is a serious health problem because there are many lifestyle diseases associated with obesity, including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and also psychosocial problems.
The Municipality of Odense has developed an intervention camp to stop the progression of overweight children. The camp consists of a 5 week stay at Fanoe. The participants are 40 overweight 5th grade children and the quantitative results from the camp is positive. This study desires to investigate the following problem: What happens to the children participating at Camp Fanoe after the intervention is over and what knowledge acquired at the intervention do they use afterwards?
The practice is examined with a social-constructivist point of view and analysed with respect to Pierre Bourdieu's concepts. The study is composed of seven semi-structured interviews with five former participants and two parents, who have been affiliated to Camp Fanoe within the last 4 years. The results are based on a little empirical material but appear to possess some essential indications and trends about which effects Camp Fanoe has on the participating families.
The study shows that the children are taught methods which they can later use as specific mindset or physical actions for treatment of obesity. However, there is a clear indication that children who experiences support of their parents subsequently are better to implement the methods from the came into their everyday life. There are also indications that they get new habitual dispositions of diet and exercise. The children, who does not experience parental support, have a challenge integrating the methods from the intervention into their everyday life. They have a tendency to fall back to their former habitual dispositions. All though, since they have participated in Camp Fanoe, it has given them new thinking methods about health and they will eventually be more likely to change practices than people who has not participated in the intervention. There is also a link between the social positions of the children and their families. Those who have relatively strong resources from home appears to do be better to use the methods from Camp Fanoe to live a healthier life. Those children, for whom the camp did not seem to be particularly effective, appear to have relatively scarce access to funds and resources. It can’t be concluded whether it is a coincidence or not, but it seemed as an interesting tendency which was essential enough to consider and how the intervention in the future may provide a greater support for families with less resources. The results from the study may help improve Camp Fanoe through a greater focus on parental support and possibly intensification of support for families with fewer resources.