One of the nation's biggest operators of weight-loss camps for children and teens will open a Big Island facility this summer with an eye toward expanding its offerings in the future.

Healthy Living Academies, operator of seven Wellspring camps and two boarding schools, said it will open Wellspring Hawaii for two camp sessions this summer, catering to teens 13 to 18 years old. The camps address factors in weight gain, using a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy, eating habits and activities to help youths lose an average of 4 pounds a week.

Ryan Craig, president of Cerritos, Calif.-based Healthy Living Academies, said there's a huge need nationally for such programs. He said the incidence of childhood obesity has nearly quadrupled over the past generation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found 14 percent of Hawai'i high-school students are overweight, while a similar number are at risk for becoming overweight.

The CDC survey in 2005 also found that 70 percent of local high-school students didn't meet recommended levels of physical activity and that many weren't eating recommended levels of fruits and vegetables.

Wellspring Hawaii also expects to get people enrolled from Asia and Australia. Craig said Wellspring Hawaii most likely will expand next year because the camp already is filling up for this year's sessions.

Craig advocates changing the way people think about dieting and physical activity through behavioral therapy. Many campers arrive at his programs slightly embarrassed and well aware of what they need to do to lose weight, he said. But by losing weight during the camp sessions and therapy, the campers buy into new behavior regarding weight loss.

Wellspring Hawaii will hire about 15 people for the Hawai'i camp sessions, being held at the Tara Yoga Center on the Big Island's Hamakua Coast on June 1 and July 29.

Craig said it costs $5,350 to attend a four-week session and $8,650 to attend an eight-week session. Wellspring said some of the cost may be reimbursable under some health-insurance programs.

Reach Greg Wiles at gwiles@honoluluadvertiser.com.