The Impact of Adventure Camps on Body Image: A Case Study of Japanese Adolescents within Public Organization Projects

This study aimed to determine adventure camps’ effects on Japanese adolescents’ body image. A questionnaire survey containing three body image scales was administered to 64 adventure camp participants and 100 non-participants. The study results revealed significant differences and trends regarding 2 of the 3 factors (understanding of physical condition and expression via the body) of the body sense scale among adolescents. Furthermore, this was also the case for 4 of the 8 factors (athletics and sports, health, endurance, and physical self-esteem) of the physical self-description questionnaire. No significant difference was found regarding the social physique anxiety scale. This suggests that adventure camps could be effective in improving Japanese adolescents’ subjective body awareness and physical self-concept.