Effects of dispersed recreational activities on the microbiological quality of forest surface water. (1/65)

The microbiological quality of forest surface waters in the Greenwater River watershed was examined to investigate the influence of heavy motorized camping in an area with no sanitary facilities. Indicator densities increased during weekend human-use periods when compared to weekdays. Increases in indicator densities were also noted downstream from heavily used camping areas when compared to upstream sites. Seasonal, weekly, and diurnal fluctuations in indicator densities were observed. This study suggests that potential health hazards exist in this watershed during periods of human use.  (+info)

Psychosocial changes associated with participation in a pediatric summer camp. (2/65)

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between a 1-week pediatric summer camping program and children's attitudes toward their physical disabilities and/or medical conditions and levels of trait anxiety. METHOD: The Child Attitude Toward Illness Scale (CATIS; Austin & Huberty, 1993) and the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC; Spielberger, 1973) were given to 90 children as pretests to determine baseline attitudes toward their illnesses and their overall levels of trait anxiety. At the end of the 1-week camp sessions, the CATIS and STAIC A-Trait Form were completed once more as posttest measures. RESULTS: Pretest and posttest scores for all camp groups were compared to assess changes in the children's attitudes toward their illnesses and levels of trait anxiety. Overall, participants had better attitudes toward their illnesses and lower levels of trait anxiety at the end of camp. CONCLUSIONS: Participation in a pediatric summer camp was related to changes in psychosocial functioning, with changes evident across diagnostic groups and gender. The consistency of the findings underscores the need for further investigation.  (+info)

Clinical and epidemiological features of early Lyme disease and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis in Wisconsin. (3/65)

To compare clinical features and assess risk factors for human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) and early Lyme disease, we enrolled patients in a case-control study during the 1996 and 1997 tick seasons. Clinical and demographic characteristics were assessed for patients with laboratory-confirmed cases of HGE or Lyme disease, and risk factors were compared with those of matched control subjects. We identified 83 persons with Lyme disease, 27 with HGE, and 11 with apparent coinfection. Unsuspected Ehrlichia infection was identified in 8 (13%) of 60 patients with Lyme disease. Patients with HGE were older and more likely to have fever, chills, or dyspnea than were those with Lyme disease only. Most patients with apparent coinfection did not have hematologic abnormalities. In the risk factor analysis, tickborne illness was independently associated with rural residence and camping. The clinical spectrum of HGE overlaps that of Lyme disease, and physicians in areas of endemicity should consider both diseases in treating patients with a compatible rash or febrile illness.  (+info)

Escherichia coli O111:H8 outbreak among teenage campers--Texas, 1999. (4/65)

In June 1999, the Tarrant County Health Department reported to the Texas Department of Health (TDH) that a group of teenagers attending a cheerleading camp during June 9-11 became ill with nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, and diarrhea, some of which was bloody. Two teenagers were hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and two others underwent appendectomies. Routine stool cultures from eight ill persons failed to yield a pathogen. Stools subsequently were sent to laboratories at the Texas Department of Health and CDC, where Escherichia coli O111:H8 was isolated from two specimens. This report summarizes the investigation of this outbreak.  (+info)

Norwalk-like virus outbreaks at two summer camps--Wisconsin, June 2001. (5/65)

On June 27 and 28, 2001, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health was notified by two local health departments of outbreaks of gastroenteritis at two summer recreational camps (camps A and B) in northern Wisconsin. This report summarizes the investigation of these outbreaks, which documents person-to-person transmission of "Norwalk-like virus" (NLV) and underscores the importance of cleaning environmental surfaces and the availability and use of hand-washing facilities at recreational camps.  (+info)

"Governare il diabete" ("to steer diabetes"): a new proposal for diabetic camps. (6/65)

"Governare il diabete" (the Italian translation of "to steer diabetes") is a project which gives young diabetics the opportunity of sailing with non-diabetic companions in a protected and educational environment. The education technique, based on the parallelism between sailing and diabetes, encourage correct self-management of both diabetes related and unrelated problems. The impact of the experience on self-esteem, quality of life and metabolic control is currently under investigation.  (+info)

Camps for children with T1DM. (7/65)

Summer camps for children and adolescents with Type I Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) represent an alternative setting to improve DSME (Diabetes Self Management Education) which is the cornerstone of care for all individuals with diabetes who want to achieve a successful health related outcome. Since the first camp was set up, summer camps have become widespread throughout the world. In literature, there are many studies that involve diabetes camps but none show enough evidence to assess the their effectiveness. The examined outcome does not involve the evaluation of quality of life enough which represents a multidimensional construct covering micro e macro cultural behaviours that underline different aspects between different regions. It is necessary to improve studies in this way. In any case present day camping experiences are invaluable.  (+info)

Summer camps and quality of life in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes. (8/65)

Topics concerning quality of life in children and adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and summer camps, have only recently appeared in the scientific literature. Interest in quality of life in diabetic patients has lately increased. The Hvidore study group has recruited 2000 patients from several countries and has published an important paper whose conclusions suggest that T1DM patients have a better quality of life if they have a good metabolic control. The aim of this paper is to evaluate if summer camps, seen as an educational and therapeutic tool, can improve quality of life by increasing knowledge and self-management capacities. Certainly summer camps help T1DM children and adolescents to understand that they can be on vacations, practice sports, have fun with other children away from home and parents, just like every other child and adolescent. At summer camps T1DM patients become aware of not being the only ones to deal with the problem of diabetes; in addition parents become aware of their child's skills in the disease management and lastly improve the relationship with the medical staff who will have the opportunity of living an extremely important training experience. The more ambitious aim of summer camps, i.e. the gaining of knowledge and self-management skills and improvement in metabolic control, seems difficult to achieve. The limited literature available suggests that it is unlikely that one or more summer camps will contribute to the improvement of metabolic control; nevertheless, it is not easy to make such evaluations with scientific criteria. We think that Italian guidelines for summer camps should help in standardizing the organization and management; in this way it will be probably easier to evaluate the impact of summer camps on the quality of life.  (+info)

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