Is open defaecation in outdoor recreation and camping areas a public health issue in Australia? A literature review.
Health Promot J Austr
; 31(3): 525-532, 2020 Sep.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-31608519
ABSTRACT
ISSUE ADDRESSED In Australia, natural areas used for outdoor recreation activities or camping often have limited or no sanitation infrastructure. Recreationist and campers may use open defaecation practices where toilets are not provided. Contaminated soils and watercourses are associated with gastrointestinal illnesses. This review aims to determine if open defaecation is a public health issue in outdoor recreation and camping areas in Australia. METHOD:
A literature review was conducted using the following search engines CINAHL, Informit Database, Scopus, ProQuest Science & Technology, Medline (Ovid) and EBSCOhost. Inclusion criteria for this review were both experimental and observational research designs for studies describing the public health issues associated with open defaecation practice.RESULTS:
Out of 12 147 papers identified, only three studies met the inclusion criteria, showing a lack of research into this area. Included were two studies that addressed human waste management practices in outdoor environments and the breakdown of human waste in alpine regions of Tasmania. The third study measured water contamination at a freshwater beach on K'gari-Fraser Island, Queensland. Visitors to natural areas are potentially at high risk of illness due to exposure to faecal contamination from other visitors using unsafe open defaecation practices in high-use camping areas.CONCLUSION:
The limited number of studies addressing open defaecation in the outdoor recreation and camp areas in Australia indicates this review is a starting point to identify critical areas that may be of concern when managing visitors in an outdoor recreation setting. This review recommends investigating barriers and enablers motivating human disposal waste in these settings to help formulate health promotion content; environmental management policies related to sanitation and hygiene should be also underpinned by public health policy; and providing appropriate sanitation options depending on the ecological and visitor numbers to natural areas. SO WHAT-RELEVANCE OFFINDINGS:
Outdoor recreation activities offer physical and mental health benefits for communities. The popularity of outdoor recreation activities is on the increase in Australia. With the rise in visitation to natural areas, management of human waste needs to be addressed to reduce the public health risk of illness.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Contaminación del Agua
/
Acampada
/
Salud Pública
/
Defecación
/
Contaminación Ambiental
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
/
Systematic_reviews
Aspecto:
Determinantes_sociais_saude
Límite:
Humans
País/Región como asunto:
Oceania
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Health Promot J Austr
Asunto de la revista:
SAUDE PUBLICA
Año:
2020
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Australia