An urban survey of paediatric environmental health concerns: Perceptions of parents, guardians and health care professionals |
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Authors: | Irena Buka W Todd Rogers Alvaro R Osornio-Vargas Harold Hoffman Marni Pearce Yuen Yee Li |
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Affiliation: | 1 Paediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit, Misericordia Hospital;2 Department of Paediatrics, University of Alberta;3 Centre for Research in Applied Measurement and Evaluation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta;4 Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico-Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia, Mexico City, Mexico;5 Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta |
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Abstract: | OBJECTIVESTo conduct a survey in Edmonton, Alberta, to gather information regarding concerns about the influence of environmental factors on children’s health and to use the information to set an agenda for the resources of the Paediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at Misericordia Hospital (Edmonton, Alberta).METHODSTwo questionnaires with 28 closed-ended questions were developed to examine parents’, guardians’ and health care professionals’ concerns. They comprised items about six environmental factors (air, water and food quality; household supplies; radiation; and waste disposal). Health care professionals were also asked four questions about their knowledge of and their needs in Paediatric Environmental Health. Parents and guardians attending the public health centres and nurses working therein received questionnaires. Physicians were surveyed by e-mail.RESULTSAfter verification, the questionnaire data from 400 parents or guardians and 152 health care professionals were used for analyses. Results from contingency table, Hotelling’s T2 and effect size analyses revealed similarities in the levels of concern in both groups, and the results were combined. The greatest concern of both groups was with environmental tobacco smoke, followed by pesticides in water. Concerns about six additional environmental elements were also expressed. The health care professionals showed a high level of concern about the need for resources, specific training and public education regarding paediatric environmental health.CONCLUSIONA significant level of concern was consistently found between the two groups studied, regardless of professional training. The highest level of concern was with a well-documented topic (ie, environmental tobacco smoke). Less concern associated with decreased documentation calls for increasing the knowledge of society, including health care professionals, to address the adverse effects of environmental factors on children. |
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Keywords: | Air pollution Children’s environmental health Environmental tobacco smoke Metals Pesticides Pollution Survey |
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