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Development of coastal recreational water quality standards in the Mediterranean.

Concern about adverse health effects arising out of human exposure to polluted seawater through bathing and other forms of aquatic recreation has led to the development of various quality criteria and standards worldwide. Attempts at quantifying health hazards from polluted recreational waters have been made in several Mediterranean countries through the conduction of epidemiological studies aimed at establishing direct correlation between the microbiological quality of the water and health effects on exposed population groups. This article provides an overview on the development of the criteria and standards for coastal recreational waters in the Mediterranean by examining the evolution of the WHO guidelines, the WHO/UNEP interim criteria for bathing waters and the EU Directives. It also provides a brief account of the various quality criteria and standards for coastal recreational waters in current use in all the Mediterranean countries.

Environment↗

Recreational rates and future land-use preferences for four Department of Energy sites: consistency despite demographic and geographical differences.

The management of ecosystems has been improved by both a public understanding of ecosystem structure and function and by managers' understanding of public perceptions and attitudes. This is especially true for contaminated lands where there are a variety of remediation, restoration, and future land-use decisions to be made. This paper synthesizes several surveys from four US Department of Energy (DOE) sites in the states of South Carolina, Idaho, Nevada, and New York. Although ethnic composition varied among the sites, age and gender did not. The percentage of the study population engaged in hunting ranged from 30% to 41% and that in fishing ranged from 55% to 74%. Average hunting rates ranged from 9 (New York) to 15 (South Carolina) days/year; average fishing rates ranged from 12 (New Mexico) to 38 (New York) days a year. Despite the demographic and recreational rate differences, there was remarkable agreement about future land uses. Maintaining these DOE sites as National Environmental Research Parks and using them for nonconsumptive recreation rated the highest. The lowest rated future land uses were current and additional nuclear waste storage and the building of homes and factories. People who participated in a recreational activity rated those future land uses higher than nonusers. While these data on recreational rates can be used to assess the potential risk to people using contaminated sites and to aid in setting clean-up standards based on potential risk, the information on land-use preferences can be used by managers to determine future use and to plan for such use. This information is particularly relevant to the Department of Energy's "Risk-based End State Vision."

Adult↗

The public health impact of injury during sport and active recreation.

Injuries can be an adverse outcome of participation in sport and recreational activities. The aim of this study was to determine the public health impact of injury during sports and active recreation injury in a select population in Australia. A random household telephone survey was conducted quarterly over a 12-month period in a well-defined geographic region, the Latrobe Valley, Australia. Information was collected on participation in sport and active recreation and associated injuries over the previous 2 weeks for all household members aged over 4 years. Injury rates were calculated per 10,000 population and per 1000 sports participants. Data were collected on 1084 persons from 417 households. Overall, 648 people reported participating in at least one sport or active recreation and 34 (5.2%, 95% CI: 4.8, 5.6%) of these sustained an injury during this activity. Overall, 51.4% of injured cases had a significant impact: 26.5% sought treatment, 34.4% had their activities of daily living adversely affected and 36.0% had their performance/participation limited. Cricket (51 injuries/10,000 population), horse riding (29/10,000 population) and basketball (25/10,000 population) had the highest injury rates. After adjusting for participation, cricket (242 injuries/1000 participants), horse riding (122/1000 participants) and soccer (107/1000 participants) had the highest injury rates. Cricket and soccer were the sports most associated with 'significant' injuries. Injury prevention efforts should be aimed at team ball sports (especially cricket, soccer and netball) because of their comparatively high rate of both overall and 'significant' injury.

Adolescent↗

Recreational physical activity and risk of papillary thyroid cancer (United States).

OBJECTIVE: Exercise has been hypothesized to influence cancer risk through a variety of mechanisms including hormonal, metabolic and immunologic effects, yet its relation with the risk of thyroid cancer has not been examined. We conducted a population-based case-control study in women aged 18-64 in three counties of western Washington State to assess the relation of recreational physical activity with risk of papillary thyroid cancer. METHODS: Of 558 women with thyroid cancer of the follicular epithelium diagnosed during 1988-1994 who were identified as eligible, 468 (83.9%) were interviewed; this analysis was restricted to women with papillary histology (n = 410). Controls (n = 574) were identified by random digit dialing, with a response proportion of 73.6%. Logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and associated confidence intervals (CI) estimating the relative risk of papillary thyroid cancer associated with various aspects of recreational exercise. RESULTS: Risk of thyroid cancer was reduced among women who reported that they engaged in regular recreational exercise during the 2 years before diagnosis relative to women who did not report exercise during that time period (OR = 0.76, 95% CI 0.59-0.98). A similar risk reduction was noted among women who reported having exercised regularly between ages 12 and 21 (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.64-1.1). However, no clear associations with aspects of recreational activity, including average hours exercised per week or weekly energy expenditure, were observed. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide some initial support for the hypothesis that physical activity may reduce risk of thyroid cancer.

Adenocarcinoma, Papillary↗

Peer education and advocacy through recreation and leadership.

Peer Education and Advocacy through Recreation and Leadership (PEARL) is an intervention based on principles of peer helping and psychosocial rehabilitation. Trained peers working as recreation advocates provided support to peers in psychosocial rehabilitation settings. Advocates promoted peer involvement in recreation and community activities as a strategy to enhance social support, independence, community inclusion, and quality of life. Evaluation findings indicate positive impacts on quality of life, empowerment, employment and educational preparedness among advocates. Outcomes of the PEARL project included developing a peer training curriculum, expanded leadership roles for participants, and improved quality of recreation services available within psychosocial rehabilitation programs.

Adult↗

Physiology, behaviour and welfare of fish during recreational fishing and after release.

This review investigates how recreational fishing affects the physiology, behaviour, and welfare of fish. Sentience and the capacity of fish to experience pain, suffering and fear are discussed, and practical recommendations for improving the treatment of fish during recreational fishing are provided. Handling procedures used in recreational fishing should match the environment where the fish is caught and the size and strength of the fish. Minimising the number of hooks on lures and baits, and using barbless hooks and circle hooks generally reduce rates of injury and the severity of tissue trauma. Capture time, handling time, and exposure to air play significant roles in the stress responses of fish and should be minimised by anglers. Keep-nets, gaffs, landing-nets, live-wells and other restraining devices should only be used when necessary because each device can prolong or intensify the negative influences of catching fish by hook-and-line. The use of fish as bait is discouraged unless they have been euthanised. Euthanasia of fish used as bait or fish captured recreationally should include a stunning blow to the head, followed by bleeding-out, or pithing the brain and spinal cord. Fish should be euthanised if they are bleeding, injured, deeply-hooked, foul-hooked, or severely exhausted, but local fisheries' regulations must be obeyed. Fish that are released after being caught may be subjected to additional factors that influence their welfare, such as elevated stress, barotrauma, suppressed feeding and growth, impaired reproductive function, increased potential for disease, infection, and delayed mortality.

Animal Welfare↗

Resources and estuarine health: perceptions of elected officials and recreational fishers.

It is important to understand the perceptions of user groups regarding both the health of our estuaries and environmental problems requiring management. Recreational fishers were interviewed to determine the perceptions of one of the traditional user groups of Barnegat Bay (New Jersey), and elected officials were interviewed to determine if the people charged with making decisions about environmental issues in the bay held similar perceptions. Although relative ratings were similar, there were significant differences in perceptions of the severity of environmental problems, and for the most part, public officials thought the problems were more severe than did the fishers. Personal watercraft (often called Jet Skis) were rated as the most severe problem, followed by chemical pollution, junk, overfishing, street runoff, and boat oil. Small boats, sailboats, wind surfers, and foraging birds were not considered environmental problems by either elected officials or fishermen. The disconnect between the perceptions of the recreational fishers and those of the locally elected public officials suggests that officials may be hearing from some of the more vocal people about problems, rather than from the typical fishers. Both groups felt there were decreases in some of the resources in the bay; over 50% felt the number of fish and crabs had declined, the size of fish and crabs had declined, and the number of turtles had declined. Among recreational fishers, there were almost no differences in perceptions of the severity of environmental problems or in changes in the bay. The problems that were rated the most severe were personal watercraft and overfishing by commercial fishers. Recreational fishers ranked sailboats, wind surfers, and fishing by birds as posing no problem for the bay. Most fishers felt there had been recent major changes in Barnegat Bay, with there now being fewer and smaller fish, fewer and smaller crabs, and fewer turtles. The results suggest that the views of a wide range of coastal users should be considered when making environmental health decisions.

Adult↗

Recreational physical activity and endometrial cancer risk.

To investigate the association between recreational physical activity and endometrial cancer risk, a population-based case-control study was conducted in Washington State. The study included 822 incident cases of endometrial cancer diagnosed between 1985 and 1991 and 1,111 randomly selected population-based controls. Detailed information on recreational physical activities as well as other endometrial cancer risk factors was obtained in structured, in-person interviews. Unconditional logistic regression, adjusted for age, county, energy intake, unopposed estrogen use, income, and, in separate models, body mass index (kg/m(2)), was used to estimate the odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals, relating endometrial cancer to each level of physical activity. A greater proportion of controls (49.3%) than cases (40.5%) reported doing regular exercise (compared with no exercise: adjusted odds ratio = 0.62, 95% confidence interval: 0.51, 0.76) in the 2-year period prior to diagnosis date. There was little evidence of a trend of decreasing risk with increasing duration or intensity of recreational physical activities. These results provide support for an association between the lack of recent recreational physical activity and endometrial cancer risk. However, the absence of a difference by duration or intensity levels and the inconsistent results from other studies suggest caution before interpreting this association as causal.

Aged↗

Preliminary study of microbiological parameters in eight inland recreational waters. Public Health Laboratory Service Water Surveillance Group.

A pilot survey of the counts of total coliform bacteria, thermotolerant coliform bacteria, Escherichia coli and faecal streptococci was carried out at eight inland recreational waters at weekly intervals during July 1991. The aims were to assess the feasibility of determining candidate indicators of recreational water quality and to assess the possible scale of variability of these parameters. The numbers of total coliforms were difficult to determine reliably because of interference from the background bacterial flora. There was a strong correlation between thermotolerant coliforms and E. coli and faecal streptococci. The average counts of the indicator organisms varied between and within the eight recreational waters by up to 10,000-fold. The greatest variation was between the eight recreational waters. At any one water, the greatest source of variation was time but there was substantial variation between sample points at one time. Counts in samples collected 1 m apart exhibited greater than random variation. Counts from surface samples tended to be higher than those at 30 cm or 100 cm depth. The proportion of thermotolerant coliforms confirmed to be E. coli varied from water to water between 60% and 96%.

Analysis of Variance↗

Do U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water quality guidelines for recreational waters prevent gastrointestinal illness? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Despite numerous studies, uncertainty remains about how water quality indicators can best be used in the regulation of recreational water. We conducted a systematic review of this topic with the goal of quantifying the association between microbial indicators of recreational water quality and gastrointestinal (GI) illness. A secondary goal was to evaluate the potential for GI illness below current guidelines. We screened 976 potentially relevant studies and from these identified 27 studies. From the latter, we determined summary relative risks for GI illness in relation to water quality indicator density. Our results support the use of enterococci in marine water at U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guideline levels. In fresh water, (Italic)Escherichia(/Italic) coli was a more consistent predictor of GI illness than are enterococci and other bacterial indicators. A log (base 10) unit increase in enterococci was associated with a 1.34 [95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.00-1.75] increase in relative risk in marine waters, and a log (base 10) unit increase in E. coli was associated with a 2.12 (95% CI, 0.925-4.85) increase in relative risk in fresh water. Indicators of viral contamination were strong predictors of GI illness in both fresh and marine environments. Significant heterogeneity was noted among the studies. In our analysis of heterogeneity, studies that used a nonswimming control group, studies that focused on children, and studies of athletic or other recreational events found elevated relative risks. Future studies should focus on the ability of new, more rapid and specific microbial methods to predict health effects, and estimating the risks of recreational water exposure among susceptible persons.

Diarrhea↗

Characteristics associated with recent recreational exercise among women 20 to 44 years of age.

Data on 1,501 control women from a multi-center, population-based, case-control study of breast cancer were used to examine characteristics associated with recreational exercise during the year prior to the interview among women 20 to 44 years of age. In a univariate analysis, higher levels of recreational exercise were associated with: higher education; higher family income; white race; previous participation in recreational exercise above the median level at ages 12 to 13 and at age 20; being nulliparous; ever lactating; being a never or past smoker; having a low current Quetelet's index (QI: weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared); and living in Atlanta or Seattle (compared to New Jersey). In a multiple linear regression model, independent predictors of higher levels of recreational exercise were: participation in higher levels of exercise at 20 years of age; having a low current QI; and never having smoked. Though all women should be encouraged to participate in exercise, these findings identity subgroups of women that may need targeting when developing exercise intervention programs.

Adult↗

Therapeutic recreation treats depression in the elderly.

Therapeutic recreation can be an effective method to treat depression in elderly home care patients. Home care is the fastest growing component in the Medicare budget. The co-occurrence of physically limiting conditions and depression in the elderly is well documented. Untreated depression carries an enormous risk and cost. Therapeutic recreation is an ideal psychosocial treatment for use in the home care setting because of its effectiveness and versatility. Certified therapeutic recreation specialists use various interventions such as poetry, music, and exercise as part of a treatment team. In addition to effectively managing depression, therapeutic recreation can be beneficial in reducing the effects of many concurrent physical conditions.

Aged↗

Epidemiology of non-submersion injuries in aquatic sporting and recreational activities.

Although the issues of drowning and near-drowning in aquatic sporting and recreational activities receive considerable attention in the epidemiological literature, there is not a recognised literature on non-submersion injuries occurring in these activities. This review draws together the epidemiological literature on non-submersion injuries and describes the incidence, nature and causes of these injuries, common risk factors, and strategies for prevention. Activities covered by the review include swimming, diving, boating, surf sports, fishing, water polo and water sliding. For most activities there is a dearth of good quality descriptive studies, with most involving cases-series designs and few providing estimates of incidence. Inconsistencies in inclusion criteria and the reporting of incidence rates makes comparisons within and between activities difficult. Incidence rates were identified for most activities and in general the incidence of injury was low, especially for more serious injury. However, some activities were associated with severely disabling injury, such as spinal cord injury (diving) and amputation (from propeller strikes in water skiing and swimming). Only three studies reporting the significance of postulated risk factors were identified. Lack of knowledge about the water being entered and alcohol consumption are significant risk factors in recreational diving; increased blood alcohol concentrations were reported to increase the risk of death in boating; and obesity and tandem riding were reported to increase the risk of injury on public water slides. Few evaluations of preventive measures were identified. Two studies reported reductions in the incidence of water slide injuries following the introduction of design changes and supervision, but neither had a non-intervention comparison group. Improvements in swimming and diving skills were reported in three studies, but these were not designed to measure changes in the risk of injury.This review demonstrates that there is a need for well-designed epidemiological research on non-submersion injury in aquatic sporting and recreational activities. The first priority should be for studies designed to describe accurately the incidence, nature, severity and circumstances of these injuries, followed by research on the significance of postulated risk factors. Once this research has been undertaken, interventions targeted at reducing the incidence of injury in aquatic sporting and recreational activities can be designed and evaluated.

Athletic Injuries↗

Interpersonal deficits and time spent in exercise or active recreation.

This study was designed to investigate the hypothesis that people with interpersonal deficits would spend less time in exercise or active recreation. Participants completed a questionnaire about the time spent per week in exercise or active recreation as well as in other activities such as reading and watching television. They also completed a questionnaire designed to measure both interpersonal and cognitive-perceptual deficits. Interpersonal deficits measured were social anxiety, constricted affect, and lack of close friends. Cognitive-perceptual deficits measured were perceptual aberration, magical ideation, and ideas of reference. Analysis showed that interpersonal deficits were related to reduced time spent in exercise or active recreation. Cognitive-perceptual deficits were not associated with time spent in exercise or active recreation.

Adolescent↗

Acute effects of phencyclidine (PCP) on chronic and recreational users.

Snowball sampling techniques were used to generate a sample of 200 phencyclidine users from an area with a 10-year history of extensive PCP use. Three types of users were studied: heavy chronic, light chronic, and recreational users. The extent of PCP use varied from less than twice a month for a period of 6 months to daily use for several consecutive years. Each subject participated in a structured interview which lasted an average of 11/2 h. Subjects were asked about the acute effects of PCP, and about their moods before, during, and after using PCP. Scales based on previous research were used to measure the acute effects and moods. Results showed that heavy chronic users were more likely than recreational users to feel energized by PCP, and to experience negative ideations (thoughts about suicide and death). When age was controlled for, heavy chronic users were also more likely to experience violent effects. Analysis of moods over time showed some similar patterns between heavy chronic and recreational users, as well as some striking differences. Overall, heavy chronic users reported greater mood elevations while high on PCP, and a more dramatic drop in mood after the high wore off, than recreational users. Analysis of the results by user types clarified some of the confusion about contradictory descriptions of the effects of PCP, and point to the need to continue distinguishing between user types.

Adolescent↗

Recreational physical activity and the risk of osteoarthritis of the hip in elderly women.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between recreational physical activity and the risk of osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip in women is uncertain. We examined the cross sectional association of radiographic OA of the hip and past recreational and sports related physical activity in elderly women who are participants in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. METHODS: An anteroposterior pelvic radiograph of 5818 subjects was assessed for hip OA using reliable measurements of individual radiographic features. Hips were graded on a summary scale of 0 (no findings) to 4 (severe OA) based on the number and type of radiographic features present. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of self-reported recreational physical activity (times/week) as a teenager, at age 30, and at age 50 with hip OA. All analyses were adjusted for age and body mass index at age 25 years. RESULTS: The risk of moderate to severe radiographic hip OA in elderly women was modestly increased in elderly women who were in the highest quartile for all physical activities performed as a teenager (odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1, 2.4), at age 50 (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0, 1.9) and weight bearing activities at age 30 (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.0, 1.9) compared to women in the lowest quartile of activity. The risk of symptomatic hip OA (grade > or =2 hip OA + hip pain) was modestly increased in women who were in the highest quartile for all physical activities as a teenager (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.2, 3.4), at age 50 (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0, 2.4), and weight bearing activities at age 30 (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0, 2.4) compared to women in the lowest quartile of activity. CONCLUSION: Recreational physical activities performed by women before menopause may increase the risk of radiographic and symptomatic hip OA.

Age Factors↗

Quality analysis in therapeutic recreation curricula.

Within the last several years therapeutic recreation has witnessed an increasing concern over the quality of professional preparation programs. Unfortunately, few efforts have really focused on improving the depth of preparation although the scope of preparation is fairly well documented by accreditation criteria. Quality analysis elucidates curricula by considering: (1) the depth of competence desired, (2) the barriers to acquiring said knowledge and (3) who is responsible for disseminating the knowledge to students. Furthermore, quality analysis relative to therapeutic recreation curricula currently requires consideration of material from other disciplines and therapeutic recreation's unique perspective on traditional areas of learning. A competency cluster including knowledge related to anatomy, physiology, disabilities and limitations imposed by the disabling conditions and medical terminology was used as an example of quality analysis. Quality analysis revealed that the aforesaid competency cluster is not presently being transmitted adequately to students and that therapeutic recreation educators' need to assume more responsibility for disseminating knowledge related to the competencies discussed.

Competency-Based Education↗

Creating a positive work environment for therapeutic recreation personnel.

It is the role of management in therapeutic recreation to create a working environment where personnel can accomplish their duties; create and maintain relationships; and work together harmoniously and creatively to obtain the organization's mission or purpose. This is an awesome job and therapeutic recreation managers are at times confronted with low-morale environments. Yet, there are strategies which can be employed to create positive working environments. Yet, there are strategies which can be employed to create positive working environments for therapeutic recreation personnel. These transformation techniques are: acknowledging negativity, identifying the positives, being available, providing positive recognition, avoiding negative game playing, refraining from negative conversation, avoiding putdowns, and using positive and effective communication. A successful therapeutic recreation supervisor can bring about positive change in the work environment so that staff members can rise to new levels of performance and self-esteem.

Humans↗