Bergführer im Spannungsfeld zwischen Idealismus und Leistungsfähigkeit – Eine Analyse der Bedeutung von Präventionsbildung für die Leistung von Bergführern

Professional mountain guides face significant occupational health risks, including injuries, accidents, environmental exposures and psychological stressors. This study aims to answer the questions, whether mountain guides manage to stay healthy despite diverse conditions, and whether they take preventive health measures.
37 mountain guides in the Alpine area were interviewed. The basis of the interview was a semi- structured guide. Mountain guides from Switzerland, Germany, Italy, France and Great Britain were investigated about their preventive health measures. This research explores the mountaineering experience through content analysis of mountaineering literature and key information to identify the critical factors of the work. As a framework for this research, the Job Demands-Resource Model (JD-R) and the Salutogenic Model were used.
All 37 mountain guides were aware of preventive health measures and able to do their own body exercises in order to keep fit for their work. They declared themselves as very confident in maintaining their own body health program. The research also showed that young mountain guides used their older colleagues as role models of how to keep physically fit. The way they stayed healthy in their profession, was to do personal body exercises without even having been taught in it in their aspirant training. All of them are proud to be a mountain guides. The profession gives all of them a feeling of purpose and coherence. This is key to staying healthy.
All 37 mountain guides from the Alpine area had no education in health prevention. This data collection indicates the need to adapt the guides’ teaching curriculum by adding the subject of taking preventive health measures to the educational program.