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Abstracts for Fall Oral Presentation Session 2

December 3rd 2024 | 12:30pm - 1:25pm | SUB 320

• 12:30 p.m. - Morgan Heelis - Navigating food choices: A qualitative diabetes camp study

  Additional Authors: Echo Oliver
  Mentor: Christina Aguilar
  College: Education
  Department: Nutrition & Exercise Science
  Abstract: Introduction:According to the CDC, 304,000 youth younger than 20 years of age have type 1 diabetes (T1D) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024), and the number of affected individuals continues to grow (Gregory et al., 2022). A diagnosis of T1D results in a significant shift in the life of an individual and their family, requiring careful management of glucose levels through dosing insulin and making appropriate nutrition choices (Monaghan, et al., 2022). Nutrition and exercise play critical roles in managing TID, helping to create a foundation for improved quality of life (Moser, 2020). Although research recognizes the impact of nutrition on T1D management, little qualitative research exists on how youth with T1D experience the challenges of nutrition decisions. Therefore, this study aims to explore the experiences and perspectives of youth with T1D regarding food choices, especially in social settings, using an interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) research approach. IPA is a qualitative research methodology aiming to deeply understand individuals' perspectives and meanings attributed to their experiences (Smith & Osborn, 2007). To assess youths' experiences with food choices in the context of T1D, participants from a year-round evidenced-based recreation diabetes camp were interviewed.
  Methods: REACH Weber, a year-round recreation experience for youth with T1D, hosted a week-long day camp for youth (ages 11-17) with T1D in August 2024. Activities offered were rock climbing, white water rafting, nutrition classes, and taste tests while providing support, education, and encouragement for healthy lifestyles. Throughout the week, eight of the 36 campers participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews focused on the impact of T1D on food choices, nutrition education, and barriers to healthy eating, particularly in social settings. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a phenomenological data analysis procedure (Smith & Osborn, 2007). Key themes and subthemes were identified and reviewed by a faculty member to ensure consistency in interpretation.

• 12:50 p.m. - Brooklyn Ulmer - The Impact of AIDS on Vampire Literature

  Mentor: Cynthia Jones
  College: Arts & Humanities
  Department: Foreign Languages (French)
  Abstract: "The main emphasis of my research will be on how the AIDS crisis redefined and impacted vampire literature. Specifically, I will examine how vampires were used to explore disease transmission, treatments, public perception, stigmatization, and sexuality. The explosion of literature that emerged during the AIDS crisis (1980's-90's) depicted vampirism as a virus: feared, dangerous, and immortal. This metaphor allowed the public to process fears surrounding HIV/AIDS, an invisible contagion that violates societal protections and cultural, racial, and economic boundaries. Like vampirism, HIV was often stigmatized as an affliction of those considered immoral or unclean, amplifying fears about infection and those seen as outsiders. Understanding the intersections between vampire literature and the HIV/AIDS epidemic offers insights into how societal narratives around disease influence societal attitudes towards stigmatized groups and emerging diseases. The primary texts used for analysis will be Interview with the Vampire (1994) and the 1992 adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula to identify the use of vampires as a motif for fears regarding HIV/AIDS and racial/sexual minorities. Secondary evidence providing historical and sociopolitical context comes from Blood Feuds: AIDS, blood, and the politics of medical disaster (1999) by Eric Feldman and Ronald Bayer, AIDS Meeting the challenge: Data, facts, background (2004) by Christoph Benn and Sonja Weinreich, and AIDS and Its Metaphors (1988) by Susan Sontag. Vampire narratives provided a framework for processing fears of disease and illuminated society's treatment of marginalized individuals. By exploring vampirism as a stand-in for infection and fear of the "other," this analysis will demonstrate how literature captures cultural anxieties.

• 1:10 p.m. - Ashton Eyler - Investigating how camp experiences can benefit students in a public-school setting: A university and public school partnership

  Additional Authors: Eddie Hill and Benjamin Prall
  Mentor: Eddie Hill
  College: Education
  Department: OCRE
  Abstract: Introduction:Summer camps have long been a source of fun and friendship for campers, but the benefits are endless. Camp can offer youth connections with others as well as counselors or other staff who may act as role models who advocate for their campers. According to Wilson et al, camp can serve as a "north star" at which youth can look to understand themselves. While camp acts as an outlet from school and other aspects of life, it also compliments it by continuing a child's learning and personal growth (Wilson et al., 2019). In the state of Utah, education leaders have attempted to outline the attributes and knowledge public high school graduates should demonstrate and termed these desired outcomes as "competencies" in a Portrait of a Graduate (Utah State Board of Education, 2020). Using these competencies as a guide, the camp experiences can help youth in public schools achieve better success in their progress towards becoming an ideal high school graduate. However, many of these outcomes are difficult to measure due to the enormous amount of time and responsibilities of camps to provide a safe space for our youth (Kirchhoff et al., 2024). To further examine the impact of camps, partnerships are often used to ease the burden of additional work from camp staff. Swanson's North Fork Discovery Center opened a camp in summer 2024 to offer these benefits to youth in Weber School District. Partnering with a local university, the new camp built off existing camp on campus research to evaluate its effectiveness (Hill, 2022). The Discovery Center's mission is to allow "students to safely discover the workings of nature, themselves, and to build positive relationships with each other and the natural world." The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a new nature-based camp as its impact on youth, their growth towards high school graduate goals, and the university partnership.
  Methods: The first camp serving youth in Weber School District was held at Swanson's North Fork Discovery Center in Eden, Utah. The camp ran for four days in June 2024 for youth grades 3-5 and four days in July 2024 for youth grades 6-8. Staff were made up of teachers from Weber School District who led and assisted campers in various classes including subjects such as plants, wildlife identification, archery, hiking, art, and games. Additional staff were high school students who provided community-engaged learning hours, faculty from the university, and undergraduate students who spearheaded the data collection. The campers were surveyed at the end of the camp week using the American Camp Association's Youth Outcomes Battery. In this study we used the retrospective 14-item Camper Learning Scale (CLS) for 3rd-5th graders and Basic version for grades 6th-8th. These three areas of the Basic version (e.g., interest in exploration) were specifically chosen as they most closely align with competencies defined in Portrait of a Graduate (e.g., Creativity and Exploration).