Environmental Health Literacy
Abstract
This book explores various and distinct aspects of environmental health literacy (EHL) from the perspective of investigators working in this emerging field and their community partners in research. Chapters aim to distinguish EHL from health literacy and environmental health education in order to classify it as a unique field with its own purposes and outcomes. Contributions in this book represent the key aspects of communication, dissemination and implementation, and social scientific research related to environmental health sciences and the range of expertise and interest in EHL.
Readers will learn about the conceptual framework and underlying philosophical tenets of EHL, and its relation to health literacy and communications research. Special attention is given to topics like dissemination and implementation of culturally relevant environmental risk messaging, and promotion of EHL through visual technologies. Authoritative entries by experts also focus on important approaches to advancing EHL through community-engaged research and by engaging teachers and students at an early age through developing innovative STEM curriculum. The significance of theater is highlighted by describing the use of an interactive theater experience as an approach that enables community residents to express themselves in non-verbal ways.
... Parent are also critical target population to protect children from environmental exposures, because all of children spend a more time with their parents (3,20). Socio-ecological models showed that parents have a critical effect on children's health through promoting children's socio-emotional development, physical activity, and nutrition quality (20,21). Thus, it is reasonable to consider parents as main target group for educational program to improve their knowledge regarding environmental exposure during the childhood. ...
... This could be due that a variety of factors have been associated with individual's approaches regarding EHL such as awareness and knowledge, attitude, and socio-demographic factor (2,3). Numerous studies show that parents who have a high level of awareness and positive attitude regarding EHL not only care their child's physical environment but also pay more attention to also other aspects of the environment including intellectual and learning environment and socialemotional environment for their child's learn and develop (1,21). Our result is also consistent with study that was conducted by Brenda et al., in 2021 on implications for environmental health literacy efforts among American childcare providers and parents (2). ...
... Likewise, over half the parents indicated that were unsure about meaning of the term children's environmental health literacy or they had never heard it that was consistent with several studies (1,19,21) in world because EHL is a new sub-discipline that is recently developing to combines key principles and main health elements from the fields of health literacy, safety culture, communications research, environmental health, and risk communication (19,21). Since, people have limited information on the EHL terminology and characterization of EHL, defining the term EHL is critical to greater action to protect environmental health and human health. ...
Background and Objective: Parents are the main target group for environmental health literacy (EHL), because most children under 7 years of age spend a lot of awake time under the care of parents. Children are exposed to toxic contaminants in the home and society, and yet little evidence is known about what parents know about the effect of the environmental contaminants on the children’s health in their care. Therefore, this study tried to better understand how parents conceptualize “environment health literacy” and its impact on the health of children in their care. We also seek to understand what parents’ attitudes, and knowledge regarding the source and effect of environmental pollution that affect their children’s health. Materials and Methods: The qualitative content analysis method was conducted on 35 eligible parents from kindergartens throughout Mashhad, Razavi Khorasan province, Iran. A semi-structured interview based on openended questions from topics was conducted to better understand what parents know about the effect of EHL on their children’s health. The results were classified into them and contents. Results: parents identified physical environment, social and emotional environment, and intellectual and learning environment as the main characteristics for EHL and they had limited information on the EHL terminology and characterization. Majority of parents had a low level of understanding about source and effect of toxic exposures that affect their children’s health. Conclusion: This study highlights the need to raise parents’ knowledge and awareness toward environmental exposure that influences health of children. Such knowledge and awareness are critical starting point to facilitate movement a continuum of EHL and improve level of action in each community to protect human health, specially children. © 2022, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
... Increasing the health literacy of the U.S. population is identified as a high-priority public health issue for Healthy People 2030 [24]. Similar to the field of health literacy [31], there is not one generally accepted definition of EHL [32], but it is thought to encompass a wide range of domains, skills, knowledge, and behaviors related to toxicant exposure and human health [33]. For the purpose of this study, we consider the baseline definition offered by Finn and O'Fallon (2017), "an understanding of the connection between environmental exposures and human health" (p. ...
... For the purpose of this study, we consider the baseline definition offered by Finn and O'Fallon (2017), "an understanding of the connection between environmental exposures and human health" (p. 496, [33]). ...
... There is a need to improve the EHL of individuals who care for children by providing education on the sources of toxicant exposures, their health outcomes, and steps that can be taken to reduce exposure [33]. Much of the previous work has focused on educating parents and health care professionals. ...
Children are uniquely vulnerable to toxicant exposures in their environment, which can have long-lasting impacts on their health. Childcare providers are an important population to target for environmental health literacy, as most children in the United States under five years of age spend a significant number of waking hours in non-parental care. There is an increasing body of evidence that children are exposed to toxicants in the childcare environment, and yet little is known about what childcare providers know about environmental influences on the health of children in their care. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 36 home- and center-based Illinois childcare providers to better understand their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors as they relate to environmental influences on children’s health. We found that the majority of providers had a low level of understanding of potential sources of exposure in the childcare environment, and they did not feel that environmental exposures posed a significant risk to children. Future efforts to increase environmental health literacy should focus on raising awareness and knowledge of environmental health issues for childcare providers before addressing ways that providers can reduce or prevent toxicant exposures to children in their care.
... Environmental health literacy (EHL) refers to the understanding and use of information about potentially harmful environmental exposures and how those exposures influence health [1]. EHL encompasses a range of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors that influence how individuals and communities use environmental information in making decisions about health [2]. EHL is often viewed as a dynamic process through which individuals and communities are increasingly able to apply a more nuanced understanding of environmental health (EH) risks, exposures, outcomes, and strategies to reduce adverse environmental exposures and promote health [1,3]. ...
... EHL may be increased through multiple strategies [3]. Often, the desired outcome of addressing EHL is to increase knowledge and promote action among individuals and communities, especially in situations where past exposures to hazardous substances may lead to both current and future adverse health effects [2]. ...
... A range of activities are required to improve EHL across these dimensions. It is thus important to address EHL at both individual and community levels, ensuring that baseline awareness and knowledge is coupled with skills to ignite actions that promote health and reduce adverse exposure [2]. ...
... Scientists should not be the only ones deciding what information is provided since the way in which participants interpret information and build contextual awareness, as well as their priorities, skills and needs, can differ from the scientists [25,30]. Co-designing the communication output with the participants can lead to improved environmental health literacy, increasing the message's effectiveness and ultimately influencing behavioural change [31][32][33][34]. Public participation in scientific research can also enhance a participant's awareness and knowledge of the subject [35][36][37][38]. ...
... The communication was effective, since it prompted a change in behaviour in the majority of the participants. This finding shows that lived experiences and co-created communicated material increases environmental health literacy by increasing the interest, awareness and understanding of the particular topic leading to taking action [32,69]. It also conforms with other literature on behavioural change [53,70], which also emphasises that information about a risk to air pollution exposure on its own is not as powerful. ...
Using low-cost portable air quality (AQ) monitoring devices is a growing trend in personal exposure studies enabling a higher spatio-temporal resolution and identifying acute exposure to high concentrations. Comprehension of results by participants is not guaranteed in exposure studies. However, information on personal exposure is multiplex, which calls for participant involvement in information design to maximise communication output and comprehension. This study describes and proposes a model of a user centred design (UCD) approach for preparing a final report for participants involved in a multi-sensor personal exposure monitoring study performed in seven cities within the EU Horizon 2020 ICARUS project. Using a combination of human-centred design (HCD), human-information interaction (HII) and design thinking approaches, we iteratively included participants in the framing and design of the final report. User needs were mapped using a survey (n=82), and feedback on the draft report was obtained from a focus group (n=5). User requirements were assessed and validated using a post-campaign survey (n=31). The UCD research was conducted amongst participants in Ljubljana, Slovenia and the results report was distributed among the participating cities across Europe. The feedback received made it clear that the final report was well-received and helped participants better understand the influence of individual behaviours on personal exposure to air pollution.
... Scientists should not be the only ones deciding what information is provided since the way in which participants interpret information and build contextual awareness, as well as their priorities, skills and needs, can differ from the scientists [25,30]. Co-designing the communication output with the participants can lead to improved environmental health literacy, increasing the message's effectiveness and ultimately influencing behavioural change [31][32][33][34]. Public participation in scientific research can also enhance a participant's awareness and knowledge of the subject [35][36][37][38]. ...
... The communication was effective, since it prompted a change in behaviour in the majority of the participants. This finding shows that lived experiences and co-created communicated material increases environmental health literacy by increasing the interest, awareness and understanding of the particular topic leading to taking action [32,69]. It also conforms with other literature on behavioural change [53,70], which also emphasises that information about a risk to air pollution exposure on its own is not as powerful. ...
Using low-cost portable air quality (AQ) monitoring devices is a growing trend in personal exposure studies, enabling a higher spatio-temporal resolution and identifying acute exposure to high concentrations. Comprehension of the results by participants is not guaranteed in exposure studies. However, information on personal exposure is multiplex, which calls for participant involvement in information design to maximise communication output and comprehension. This study describes and proposes a model of a user-centred design (UCD) approach for preparing a final report for participants involved in a multi-sensor personal exposure monitoring study performed in seven cities within the EU Horizon 2020 ICARUS project. Using a combination of human-centred design (HCD), human–information interaction (HII) and design thinking approaches, we iteratively included participants in the framing and design of the final report. User needs were mapped using a survey (n = 82), and feedback on the draft report was obtained from a focus group (n = 5). User requirements were assessed and validated using a post-campaign survey (n = 31). The UCD research was conducted amongst participants in Ljubljana, Slovenia, and the results report was distributed among the participating cities across Europe. The feedback made it clear that the final report was well-received and helped participants better understand the influence of individual behaviours on personal exposure to air pollution.
... At the same time, their priorities, skills, and needs can differ from the scientists [29,30]. Co-designing the communication output with the participants can lead to improved environmental health literacy, increasing the message's effectiveness and ultimately influencing behavioural change [31][32][33][34]. Public participation in scientific research can also enhance a participant's awareness and knowledge of the subject [35][36][37][38]. ...
... The communication was effective since it prompted a change in behaviour in the majority of the participants. This finding shows that lived experiences and communicated material increases environmental health literacy by increasing interest, awareness, and understanding of the particular topic leading to taking action [32,65]. It also conforms with other literature on behavioural change [46,66], which also emphasises that information about a risk to air pollution exposure on its own is not as powerful while providing each individual with a set of sensor devices we enabled them to experience the air-quality first-hand. ...
Using low-cost portable air quality (AQ) monitoring devices is a growing trend in personal exposure studies enabling a higher spatio-temporal resolution and identifying acute exposure to high concentrations. Comprehension of results by participants is not guaranteed in exposure studies. However, information on personal exposure is multiplex, which calls for participant involvement to maximise communication output and comprehension. This study describes a user centred design (UCD) approach for preparing a final report for participants involved in a multi-sensor personal exposure monitoring study performed in seven cities within the EU Horizon 2020 ICARUS project. Using a combination of human-centred design (HCD), human-information interaction (HII) and design thinking approaches, we iteratively included participants in the framing and design of the final report. User needs were mapped using a survey (n=82), and feedback on the draft report was obtained from a focus group (n=5). User requirements were assessed and validated using a post-campaign survey (n=31). The UCD research was conducted amongst participants in Ljubljana, Slovenia and the results report was distributed among the participating cities across Europe. The feedback received made it clear that the final report was well-received and helped participants better understand the influence of individual behaviours on personal exposure to air pollution.
... Finn and O'Fallon (2017) suggest environmental health literacy (EHL) as "a progressive nature of EHL beginning with an individual's understanding of the connection between environmental exposure and human health and proceeding to the ability to create effective public health messages and/or act on this understanding." EHL focuses on improving the understanding of environmental threats and on preventing adverse health outcomes, which are environmentally induced [8,9]. Therefore, raising EHL is involved in empowering the public to search for, comprehend, and evaluate environmental health information, and make efforts to reduce unhealthy environmental exposure. ...
We aimed to develop and validate a comprehensive ambient air pollution health literacy instrument. We developed items covering 12 constructs, four information competencies within three health domains. In this population-based telephone interview study, probability proportional to size sampling and random digit dialing were used to determine participants. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis to analyze model fits and used content validity indices and Cronbach’s alpha to measure content validity and internal consistency reliability. Twenty-four items were generated, and a total of 1,297 participants were recruited. A theoretically conceived 12-factor model was supported (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.068, comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.039, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] = 0.934, normed fit index [NFI] = 0.914, Tucker–Lewis index [TLI] = 0.902). Content validity indices for relevance, importance, and unambiguity were 0.97, 0.99, and 0.94, respectively. Internal consistency reliability assessed by Cronbach’s alpha was 0.93. The ambient air pollution health literacy instrument is valid and reliable and can be used in community residents. The novel instrument can guide the stakeholders and the authority to tailor and implement effective and appropriate interventions and actions, empowering the public to manage hazardous exposure and improving AAPHL of the public.
... He also shed the light on the importance of using no pesticide in the forestation, because the impact of the chemical pesticide will directly be absorbed into the water spring that is consumed by the people. This shows that people have got the understanding on environmental health literacy, as the direct impact of the mining is the people health [16]. The vegetation, even the grass is important to be planted on the karst areas, one of which functions is to avoid soil erosion. ...
The issue of gold mining industry in Trenggalek has increasingly been a high concern among the local people. People are aware that the mining industry will give adverse impact for their life now and the next generation, because of the natural destruction resulted from the extraction industry. People’s concern is expressed through the texts produced by local people to be circulated locally and more widely. The texts analyzed in this study are the articles in the local portal of “Nggalek.co,” which is locally produced by young people in Trenggalek. As the unit of analysis, there are 6 articles, selected by using the keyword of “tambang emas” (gold mining). This study aims at understanding the discursive strategy of the writers (Trenggalek community) in producing the text in building resistance discourse of the gold mining industry for ensuring the local sustainable development. This research is based on Foucauldian critical framework and critical discourse analysis by employing the Fairclough’s framework of three levels of analysis: micro, meso, and macro. The analysis resulted in identifying the discursive strategies in the form of key themes (knowledge produced) through the text, explaining the social political context of the resistance discourse, and identifying the power relations among the actors.
... To achieve 'proficiency' or advanced levels in existing conceptualizations of EHL, individuals are expected to be able to seek out, comprehend, and evaluate environmental health and science materials [1, 2,33]. This necessitates interactions with materials created by environmental health professionals but fails to account for the accessibility of those materials in terms of literacy or numeracy demand. ...
This study is based on in-depth semi-structured interviews with the participants of an indoor air quality monitoring study. The purpose of the interviews was to capture participants’ perceptions of indoor air quality and engage them in a discussion of those factors that influenced their behavior. Interview study participants (n = 20) noted the importance of family health concerns and their own sensory awareness of possible contaminants. They discussed their level of personal control over their home environment as well as their access to needed resources. This study is based on grounded theory and applies interpretivist epistemological methods. Study findings offer insights into how people perceive their home environment and what influences their decision making and action. Analyses indicate that perceived agency, risk perception, access to resources, and information all influenced participants’ sense of ability to take action as well as their interest in taking action. These insights serve to challenge some of the current work in environmental health literacy which tends to focus on and measure an individual’s knowledge or skills. Our analysis suggests that consideration be given to a number of factors that include perceived agency, access to resources, and the quality of information provided.
... Important international projects support environmental education in schools to inspire future generations to live sustainably [21]. CISAS is using self-produced pictures and movies to improve environmental health literacy of students [22]. ...
In past years, communication activities have become increasingly important in the environment and health domain, considering the concurrent developments of social media and scientific citizenship that contributed changes in legislation and culture. Communication is particularly crucial where an environmental hazard is present, as in the case of high risk environmental and health risk areas. The project "International Center of Advanced Study in Environment, Ecosystem and Human Health" (CISAS), carried out by the Italian National Research Council, covers multiple research activities, from ecology to biology and medical sciences, from epidemiology to social sciences and communication. Three different studies based on human biomonitoring and a birth cohort study are currently in progress in the project locations, together with studies on the environmental fate of pollutants. A clear, accurate and respectful communication of study protocols and results represents a priority to produce comprehensible information available for policy makers, citizens, and stakeholders. This paper describes the multiple external and internal communication activities planned in the framework of the CISAS project as an example of promotion of knowledge in the society at large and improvement of risk management in the environmental health domain.
The imperative of sustainability in healthcare is becoming more pressing due to global health crises, climate change, and the rising burden of chronic diseases. Sustainability in healthcare involves social, economic, and environmental dimensions, each important for equitable and robust healthcare delivery. Health literacy may play a central role in embracing all three dimensions, bridging the gap between complex health information and individuals’ capability to understand and use it effectively: In fact, as a factor influencing the link between adverse social and economic conditions and subsequent health issues, health literacy could represent a practical target for mitigating health disparities within various demographic groups, thereby enhancing social sustainability. Furthermore, when people possess a solid understanding of their health conditions and the necessary steps for health management, they can contribute to a reduction in generated healthcare costs. Finally, health literacy and environmental health literacy equips individuals and communities with the knowledge and skills to understand how environmental factors affect health and empowers them to take proactive measures to protect the environment, potentially reducing the environmental impact of healthcare services. Therefore, integrating health literacy into education curricula and healthcare professional training is crucial for promoting sustainability. Despite some known barriers to the advancement and improvement of health literacy, such as limited awareness of its importance, the collaboration between academia, healthcare institutions, and community organizations is a path to follow to overcome these challenges.
Background:
Substantial evidence exists linking phthalate exposure to adverse reproductive health outcomes. Current US federal regulations of consumer product chemicals place the onus on individuals to mitigate their exposure to phthalates, with assumptions of sufficient environmental health literacy (EHL). Few validated scales for people of reproductive age exist to evaluate phthalate-specific EHL.
Objectives:
Our objective is to develop a multidimensional scale characterizing latent factors of phthalate knowledge, risk perception, and self-efficacy to inform individual-level interventions for reducing phthalate exposure.
Methods:
We distributed a survey with 31 items to 117 participants in the Environmental Reproductive and Glucose Outcomes (ERGO) cohort who gave birth within the last 5 years. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to identify underlying latent factors. Internal reliability was assessed via omega hierarchical coefficient. Average sum scores for each latent factor and the overall Phthalate Environmental Reproductive Health Literacy (PERHL) score were calculated. Associations between latent factors, overall PERHL score, and sociodemographic characteristics were explored using linear models.
Results:
Six latent factors were identified as follows: "Awareness of Phthalate Reproductive Health Impacts," "Uncertainty," "Protective Behavior/Risk Control," "Regulatory Interest," "Awareness of Phthalate Exposure Pathways," and "General Phthalate Knowledge." Each factor demonstrated acceptable to strong internal reliability, with coefficients ranging between 0.63 and 0.93. Non-white participants had lower scores for the "Awareness of Phthalate Reproductive Health Impacts" [β: -0.35, 95% confidence interval (CI): -0.63, -0.07], "Awareness of Phthalate Exposure Pathways" (β: -0.32, 95% CI: -0.57, -0.07), and "General Phthalate Knowledge" (β: -0.36, 95% CI: -0.66, -0.06), but no significant difference in scores on "Uncertainty" (β: 0.17, 95% CI: -0.16, 0.50), "Protective Behavior/Risk Control" (β: -0.04, 95% CI: -0.36, 0.28), or "Regulatory Interest" (β: -0.21, 95% CI: -0.51, 0.09). No associations were seen for age or educational attainment and latent or sum factors.
Discussion:
Six latent factors were identified for the PERHL scale. Non-white race and ethnicity was associated with lower scores for knowledge-related scale factors. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP13128.
The promotion of active transportation (AT), which has been broadly defined as a physical effort performed by the traveller to produce motion, has been a popular strategy to reduce vehicular emissions, improve air quality, and promote physical activity. However, individuals who engage in AT may incur increased exposure to air pollutants and thus potential health impacts. This research sought to determine how active commuters understand the health risks associated with air pollution during their commutes, and whether they engage in any behaviours to limit exposure. An online survey was adapted from the Environmental Health Literacy framework to assess air pollution health literacy among active commuters in Hamilton, ON, and generated a sample size of 192 AT users. Analyses involved the use of frequency tables and cross-tabulations for the quantitative data, and the Health Belief Model and thematic analysis to interpret the qualitative data. Results revealed that most AT users do not adopt behaviours that would limit air pollution exposure on commutes and exhibited low self-rated knowledge of the health impacts of air pollution exposure. Issues of perceived susceptibility and severity, barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy all further impacted the likelihood of adopting health protective behaviours. Conclusively, air pollution is an often-neglected consideration among active commuters, with air pollution knowledge predicting the likelihood of behavioural modification.
This research aimed to assess the perceptions of air quality and health symptoms caused by low urban air quality among vulnerable socio-economic groups in the world of work in Bangkok, Thailand through a questionnaire survey of 400 workers of both formal and informal sectors in the five districts with different socio-economic characteristics and levels of air pollution. The findings showed symmetry between air quality-monitoring data and health symptoms of different socio-economic groups but asymmetry between air quality-monitoring data and people's perceptions of air quality in their areas. It also showed inequalities of low air quality-related health impacts on socio-economic groups in the world of work. People working near the streets, highways, and industrial zones tended to have more health symptoms related to low air quality, and informal sector workers faced more health risks than formal sector workers. The study appeals for effective air pollution communication to enhance the public and informal sector worker population's literacy of air pollution, the sources of air pollution and its critical health impacts, and the available and sufficient primary care organizations and community health care centers to address work-related health needs to reach the informal sector worker population.
Children are crucial to the future of climate change leadership, and even as youth, they have the ability to make a difference in achieving climate equity. Explorations of children’s climate change literature is limited, despite the push from experts to involve children in climate change education and action. A thematic analysis of picturebooks books on the topic was conducted. Data were identified from online websites and accessibility was confirmed via academic and internet search engines. Findings suggest that children’s books about climate change lack informational material and overlook the human consequences of the climate crisis. Implications for environmental health communication are discussed.
The present article deals with environmental health literacy (EHL) in contaminated sites. The Italian national epidemiological surveillance system of population resident in contaminated sites, including vulnerable subgroups, and the local epidemiological studies and communication initiatives implemented in specific sites are considered. The Italian experience in contaminated sites corroborates the importance of EHL as a key component of community capacity to participate in mitigating environmental health risks. Effective access to evidence-based information on environmental health risk is the basis for improving awareness of local institutional and social actors. The proactive involvement of stakeholders in preventive actions and the adoption of shared practices reflect the progressive increase of their EHL. Bidirectional communication relying on participative approaches, collaborative nationallocal initiatives, and dialogue with the communities is an effective tool for increasing EHL at each site. This enhances the community capacity to use the acquired knowledge in promoting prevention actions. Consideration of socioeconomic fragilities and vulnerable groups in well-designed EHL practices contributes to prevent adverse health effects induced by specific environmental exposures and to promote environmental justice at local level.
Environmental education has been promoted in Taiwan for more than two decades. In related fields, pedagogical materials and methods of environmental educational curricula and pro-environmental behaviors are two major research topics, both of which touch on the so-called attitude-behavior gap; that is, knowledge does not necessarily lead to positive attitudes and positive attitudes do not necessarily change behavior. Therefore, in past research on environmental education and pro-environmental behavior, determining how to bridge this gap and enable environmental education to play a more prominent role is also a problem that scholars have been working hard to resolve.
With a rapidly changing climate, new leaders must be trained to understand and act on emerging environmental threats. In California’s Imperial Valley, a collaborative of community members, researchers, and scientists developed a community air monitoring network to provide local residents with better air quality information. To expand the reach of the project and to prepare the next generation of youth leaders we developed an internship program to increase environmental health literacy and civic leadership. In the 10-week program, high school students learned about air quality science, respiratory health, community air monitoring, and policies intended to improve air quality. The students learned to present this information to their peers, neighbors, family, and community leaders. The program used participatory approaches familiar to community-engaged research to center the students’ experience. Surveys and interviews with the students were used to assess the program and found that the students became more familiar with air quality policies, increased their ability to use air monitoring resources, and increased their own confidence in their ability to effect change. With the growing threats related to environmental hazards, it is vital to prepare youth leaders to understand, communicate, and act.
Accurate, timely information can be a powerful tool to mitigate harmful effects of air pollution. While national guidelines for environmental risk communication – based on risk and crisis communication principles – exist, little is known how these are operationalized, nor about the effectiveness of existing communication efforts. Moreover, a growing literature on environmental health literacy suggests that communication about environmental risks must move beyond individual behavior education to empower communities to mobilize to reduce environmental threats. This study aimed to identify and critically evaluate public sources of information about the causes and controllability of air pollution and its health effects, and potential disparities in information reach and utility. The case study triangulated data from three sources: Systematic analysis of the public information environment, interviews with regional expert stakeholders, and interviews with community residents. Three themes emerged: 1) Lack of clarity about responsibility for communicating about air quality (information sources), 2) Existing air quality communication strategies lack critical information including risk mitigation behaviors and long-term health impacts (information quality), and 3) Existing air quality communications fail to reach vulnerable populations (information reach). This study demonstrates that air quality communication is lacking yet crucially needed. Information about air pollution and health risks focuses on individual risk behaviors but is disseminated using channels that are unlikely to reach the most vulnerable populations. We discuss opportunities to improve the reach and impact of communication of air quality health risks, an increasingly important global priority, situating our argument within a critical environmental health literacy perspective.
Environmental health literacy (EHL) has recently been defined as the continuum of environmental health knowledge and awareness, skills and self-efficacy, and community action. In this study, an interdisciplinary team of university scientists, partnering with local organizations, developed and facilitated EHL trainings with special focus on rainwater harvesting and water contamination, in four communities with known environmental health stressors in Arizona, USA. These participatory trainings incorporated participants’ prior environmental health risk knowledge and personal experiences to co-create training content. Mixed methods evaluation was conducted via pre-post participant surveys in all four trainings (n = 53). Participants who did not demonstrate baseline environmental science knowledge pre-training demonstrated significant knowledge increase post-training, and participants who demonstrated low self-efficacy (SE) pre-training demonstrated a significant increase in SE post-training. Participants overall demonstrated a significant increase in specific environmental health skills described post-training. The interdisciplinary facilitator-scientist team also reported multiple benefits, including learning local knowledge that informed further research, and building trust relationships with community members for future collaboration. We propose contextual EHL education as a valuable strategy for increasing EHL in environmental health risk communities, and for building academia-community partnerships for environmental health research and action.
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