Medical Specialty Camps for Youth with Diabetes

Camps for children with medical conditions have been in existence for decades. With the advent of new medical technology and research advances, children with medical illnesses are living long lives with chronic conditions. Camp provides an ideal setting to help these youth manage and cope with their disease. Using camps for children who have diabetes as a model, this article reviews the history of medical specialty camps and the psychosocial and medical aspects of the disease that are unique to this population and describes the intentional programming and special considerations within this camping environment. The article concludes with a review of research and recent studies conducted at camps for youth who have diabetes that investigate the benefits of these specialized camping programs.