The Appalachian Trail Conservancy estimates that one in four people who begin the "Thru Hike" will complete it. In 2012, over 2,500 people began the Northbound hike from Georgia, and only 550 ended their hike in Maine. This study aims to determine the effect of water and vector borne disease on achievement of long distance hiking goals and to identify associations between preventive measures of personal hygiene and water treatment with disease prevalence and outcome.
The anonymous online survey will be available September - December, 2013. It will require approximately 15 minutes of time for each participant to complete the survey, including the Informed Consent Form. It can be taken at any time of the day and at the discretion of the participant, but it will need to be completed in one sitting. (It is not be possible to save answers and return to the survey at a later time.) There is no time limit to complete the survey.
Data collected in this survey will provide opportunities for addressing the health needs of long distance hikers through education and disease prevention measures. An analysis of hygiene practices, water purification, and disease prevention methods will provide insight into how the knowledge and practices of long distance hikers have changed over time and what methods are most effective for today's hiking population.
The anonymous online survey will be available September - December, 2013. It will require approximately 15 minutes of time for each participant to complete the survey, including the Informed Consent Form. It can be taken at any time of the day and at the discretion of the participant, but it will need to be completed in one sitting. (It is not be possible to save answers and return to the survey at a later time.) There is no time limit to complete the survey.
Data collected in this survey will provide opportunities for addressing the health needs of long distance hikers through education and disease prevention measures. An analysis of hygiene practices, water purification, and disease prevention methods will provide insight into how the knowledge and practices of long distance hikers have changed over time and what methods are most effective for today's hiking population.
