Factors that influence families' decision to send their children to a week-long pediatric oncology camp and thoughts about attending camp

Abstract

Purpose: We sought to understand: families' experience of an overnight pediatric oncology camp open to children with cancer and their siblings aged seven to seventeen (Camp Delight); the considerations that factor into families' decision to attend camp for the first time; and what motivates them to reattend.

Method: Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with families who attended Camp Delight during or before August 2020. Thematic analysis was performed using a framework developed by four coders and MaxQDA software.

Result: Six overarching themes were compiled: precipitating experiences, barriers to attending camp, facilitating factors, benefits of camp, pro-return factors, and activities to improve transitioning to camp and reduce uncertainty.

Conclusion: Child and parent hesitancy, travel cost, and distance to camp represent barriers to attendance. Organizers may mitigate these barriers by partnering with trusted health professionals, communicating safeness and benefits of camps, including siblings, implementing strategies for reducing uncertainty, and increasing accessibility.

Keywords: Accessible programming; Childhood cancer; Pediatric oncology camp; Wellness.