| Abstract [eng] |
Background. Music festivals are a festive event where people gather to enjoy live music and have a good time. However, these events can pose a number of health risks, from dehydration to infectious diseases. There is also a huge risk of psychoactive substance abuse. It is therefore useful to understand the health experiences of music festival attendees in order to tailor effective prevention and harm reduction measures at music festivals. The aim of this research. To find out the experiences of music festivals‘ participants in terms of health risk factors. Objective. 1. To describe the health risks experienced by participants at music festivals. 2. To highlight the impact of these experiences on the physical and emotional well-being of participants after music festivals. 3. To explore the recommendations made by music festivals' participants to their organisers and future participants. Methods. A convenience sample was drawn. The sample consisted of 6 people who had attended a music festival at least once. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. Data analysis was carried out using qualitative content analysis. The texts of the interviews were transcribed, divided into themes, which were divided into smaller content units - categories, and into even smaller content units - subcategories. Results. The study identified 3 main themes: health risk factors of music festivals, emotional and physical well-being after music festivals, and comments from music festival participants to festival organisers and future participants. Conclusions. The physical and mental health of participants at music festivals was affected by living conditions, the use of psychoactive substances, minor injuries and illnesses, and psychological abuse. Most participants felt tired after the music festivals, but were generally in a good mood, happy if there were no unpleasant incidents, and had a new experience. After a while, they wanted to go back to the music festivals, reminisced about them, reflected on their experiences and likened the experience to an "escape from reality". Participants in the music festivals recommended that future participants should only travel with trusted friends, assess the living conditions, avoid or not take psychoactive substances at all, be critical of their own abilities and desires, be mindful of their basic physiological needs, and be open to the new experiences awaiting them. And their recommendations to music festival organisers included improving food, health and infrastructure. |
