| Learning Objective #1: Identify five categories of environmental health risks | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Recognize the opportunity for community building and empowerment through research initiatives |
Objective
Increasingly, nurses are becoming involved in the global effort to improve the health of populations threatened by toxins in their environments. This research examines how persons living in an environment with high levels of pollution understand environmental health risks and act upon their concerns.
Design and Methods
The study employed a qualitative approach to better understand the participant’s specific knowledge and concerns. Thirty semi-structured interviews were audio taped and transcribed for analysis.
Population, Sample and Setting
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts designates the research setting as an environmental justice area due to its large ethnically diverse low-income population and its large environmental pollution burden. The city has two Superfund sites, many other Brownfield sites, one of the highest lead poisoning rates in the state, and a very high hospital discharge rate for asthma patients. The sample population of 30 adults (28 women and 2 men) was accessed through social service and health programs that target poor and ethnically diverse people. All were caregivers for children under the age of 18 and the majority were parents. The majority of the sample was comprised of persons of minority status including Cape Verdean, Puerto Rican, Bolivian, Guatemalan, and African American ethnic groups. Interviews took place in either the agency or the participant’s home.
Findings
The analysis of the qualitative data revealed themes of fear, powerlessness, distrust of public programs, heightened concern for their children’s health, lack of knowledge of specific environmental threats in their community, and lack of knowledge of individual strategies to reduce risks.
Conclusions and Implications
The findings suggest that educational strategies that link governmental environmental programs with underserved persons might empower them to take action to reduce environmental risks. Through this research effort, the researcher established community connections to develop future participatory research proposals.
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