Authors:
Hendrickx D, Carapetis J, Walker R
Authors notes:
The Kids Research Institute Australia: 2013
Keywords:
Swimming pools, Aboriginal communities, skin health, ear health, skin sores
Abstract:
Skin and ear infections disproportionately affect Aboriginal children living in remote communities.
Both conditions can cause significant morbidity and may undermine child development from a very early age.
Providing remote Aboriginal communities with access to well maintained chlorinated swimming pools has been considered as a possible strategy for reducing both ear and skin infection rates in Aboriginal children.
Various studies have been performed in attempts to validate the rationale for such interventions.
This report presents an overview of those studies and critically evaluates their significance.
Although the current evidence is inconclusive in regards to the effectiveness of swimming pools on ear health outcomes, all relevant studies show a reduction of skin sores among children in remote Aboriginal communities after the opening of swimming pools in those communities.
The case for building swimming pools in remote Aboriginal communities is based on many social and indirect health benefits and need not rely on specific health benefits.
The demonstrated benefit for skin infections, and possible benefit for ear disease, suggest that pools can be part of a broader public health strategy for improving health outcomes.