Health Consequences of Wintering in the French Southern and Antarctic Territories

Polar stays expose people to extreme climate, isolation and confinement. The combination of these factors induces psychological disorders, sleep disorders, immune and endocrine disturbances, and deficiencies. In the TAAF, (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) two types of population coexist: winter residents, exposed to these stressors over long periods, and country people, who benefit from milder conditions and only make short stays. In this context, the investigators have decided to set up this cohort study with the objective of comparing the state of health of the winterers of the TAAF from 2012 to 2017 with that of the country people of the same period, before their stay, during and the year following their return.

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Key information

Conditions

Environmental Exposure Depressive Disorder Endocrine System Diseases Immunologic Activity Alteration Mental Disorders Mood Disorders Nervous System Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Seasonal Affective Disorder Signs and Symptoms Sleep Disorder Sleep Wake Disorders Winter Depression

Age range

18 year–99 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

CHU de la Réunion

Saint-Denis, 97400, Reunion

About this study

Participants will answer to a questionnaire. This questionnaire will determinate participants health about following areas : psychological disorders, sleep disorders, immune and endocrine disturbances, and any deficiencies.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

for the exposed group are:

To have carried out one or more wintering in one of the districts of the TAAF, that means a stay of at least six consecutive months including winter;
Have started their first wintering between 01jan2012 and 31dec2017;
Know how to read and write French.

for the non-exposed group are:

To have taken part in one or more summer campaigns between 01jan2012 and 31dec2017;
Never have overwintered;
Not having been refused wintering for health reasons or following psychological tests;
Knowing how to read and write French.

Exclusion criteria

Persons under guardianship or guardianship, deceased persons, persons refusing to participate in the study

Treatment and study plan

questionary

Other

Questions about patient health after wintering in Southern and Antarctic French Lands about social and demographics items, psychologic and psychiatric items, sleep disorders, immunological disorders,and endocrinologic disorders, sociological consequences of wintering

Primary outcomes

Evaluate incidence health disorders and sociological consequences of wintering of health of winterers (exposed) of TAAF from 2012 to 2017 with that of country people (not exposed) of the same period

Time frame: between 4 years and 9 years after polar exposure
Measurement tool is a questionnaire Prevalence of different pathologies will be described
- Sociodemographic data
- Psychological and psychiatric evaluation: Psychiatric disorder according to the College of Psychiatry Teacher; Assessment of coping strategy according to the Ways of Coping Checklist, a psychometric assessment tool recognized in the social science
- Subjective perception of the state of health
- Sleep disorder according to the definition of the College of Teacher of Neurology
- Immunological state through the exploration of allergy according to College of Pulmonology Teacher, autoimmune disease according to the French College of Rhumatology Teacher (COFER), and infection by using the classification of infectious disease as presented in the Inserm epidemiological report
- Endocrine pathology: dysthyroidism, vitamin D deficiency assessed by its complication as described by COFER
- other pathologies presented in International Classification Disease

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de la Réunion

Other

Registry information

Acronym: MediTAAF

Important dates

Study start: 2021
Primary completion: 2021
Study completion: 2021
First posted: Feb 24, 2021
Registry last updated: Sep 21, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed