Project Title: Medication Use and Risk Behavior in High-Altitude Trekking (Project MeRiT)
Researcher: Katharina Steger
(Institute for Sports, Alpine Medicine & Health Tourism (ISAG), UMIT Tirol, Hall and Medical University of Innsbruck)
Project Lead: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schobersberger
(ISAG UMIT Tirol and Tirol Kliniken Innsbruck)
An increasing number of tourists view their holidays as adventures and seek to explore untouched places. As a result, adventure tourism, which includes high-altitude trekking, is gaining popularity worldwide. Nevertheless, little is known to date about pre-existing conditions, current health status, medication use, and risk behavior of participants in commercial trekking tours. Existing literature indicates that the average age of a trekking participant tends to be higher nowadays, and one cannot assume absolute health and fitness of the participants. This fact, along with the often-difficult access to healthcare facilities in many popular trekking regions, such as the Everest region in Nepal, are just two of many factors that highlight the importance of preventive measures in this field.
The aim of the MeRiT study (Medication Use-Risk in Trekking) is therefore to collect further and more precise data on this topic, with a focus on medication use and potential medication misuse, in order to be able to offer more accurate preventive medical advice in the future. The knowledge gained should not only be conveyed to trekking participants themselves but also to all other individuals in the trekking industry, such as trekking agencies, trekking guides, or expedition doctors.