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Citation |
Weichenthal L, Allen J, Davis KP, Campagne D, Snowden B, Hughes S. Wilderness Environ. Med. 2011; 22(3): 257-261. |
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Affiliation |
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, Fresno. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2011, Elsevier Publishing) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
21778092 |
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Abstract |
OBJECTIVE.-: To assess the level of lightning safety awareness among visitors at 3 national parks in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. METHODS.-: A 12-question, short answer convenience sample survey was administered to participants 18 years of age and over concerning popular trails and points of interest with known lightning activity. There were 6 identifying questions and 5 knowledge-based questions pertaining to lightning that were scored on a binary value of 0 or 1 for a total of 10 points for the survey instrument. Volunteers in Fresno, California, were used as a control group. Participants were categorized as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park (SEKI), frontcountry (FC), or backcountry (BC); Yosemite National Park (YNP) FC or BC; and Fresno. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for differences between groups. RESULTS.-: 467 surveys were included for analysis: 77 in Fresno, 192 in SEKI, and 198 in YNP. National park participants demonstrated greater familiarity with lightning safety than individuals from the metropolitan community (YNP 5.84 and SEKI 5.65 vs Fresno 5.14, P = .0032). There were also differences noted between the BC and FC subgroups (YNP FC 6.07 vs YNP BC 5.62, P = .02; YNP FC 6.07 vs SEKI FC 5.58, P = .02). Overall results showed that participants had certain basic lightning knowledge but lacked familiarity with other key lightning safety recommendations. CONCLUSIONS.-: While there are statistically significant differences in lightning safety awareness between national parks and metropolitan participants, the clinical impact of these findings are debatable. This study provides a starting point for providing educational outreach to visitors in these national parks. Language: en |