Application of the core areas of environmental health to recreation therapy practices
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/ajrt.2014.0062Keywords:
recreation therapy, environmental health risks, environmental health promotionAbstract
Because recreation therapists work in a broad range of settings to promote the well-being of individuals, it is important for them to have an understanding of the role of the environment on individuals’ health. Environmental health is a very broad field, encompassing all aspects of the environment and its impacts on social, emotional, and physical health. It can be divided into 11 core areas: air quality (indoor and outdoor), water quality, radiation, food safety, emergency preparedness, healthy housing, infectious diseases and vector control, toxicology, injury prevention, waste and sanitation, and weather and climate change. This informative article discusses six of the 11 environmental health core areas that recreation therapists and their clients might frequently encounter. This article also provides brief guidelines on preventive actions that can be taken by recreation therapists to reduce the potential risks identified.
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