scholarly journals Public Perceptions of Environmental Public Health Risks in the United States

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 1045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikyong Shin ◽  
Angela Werner ◽  
Heather Strosnider ◽  
Lisa Hines ◽  
Lina Balluz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Environmental Public Health

Understanding public perceptions about environmental health hazards, exposures, and health impacts can help environmental public health practitioners to target and prioritize community activities, policy needs, and communication strategies. The online cross-sectional 2013 summer wave of the ConsumerStyles survey sampled U.S. adults and used questions from the Centers for Disease Control’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Program to measure public awareness of governmental efforts to track environmental exposures and links to health impacts, as well as perceptions of environmental health issues. Unadjusted and adjusted logistic regressions examined the associations between demographic characteristics and level of awareness of government environmental public health efforts or level of concern about health risks associated with environmental pollutants. Responses were received from 4033 participants, yielding a response rate of 66.0%. More than half of respondents (57.8%) noted concerns about health risks from environmental pollutants. More than one-third (40.0%) of respondents reported awareness of government efforts. Nearly 40% of respondents felt that none of the health impacts listed in the survey were related to environmental issues. Multiple logistic regression models showed that non-Hispanic blacks, other races, females, people with a college or higher education, and people living in the Midwest or South regions were more likely than their counterparts to be concerned about how the environment affects their health. Future work should focus on improving risk communication, filling the information gap on environmental health issues, and understanding how perceptions change over time.

Public Perceptions of Environmental Health Risks in the United States

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (1) ◽  
pp. 1892
Author(s):  
Mikyong Shin* ◽  
Lisa B Hines ◽  
Heather Strosnider ◽  
Lina Balluz
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Environmental Health Risks

scholarly journals Health Impacts of Urban Bicycling in Mexico

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 2300
Author(s):  
David Rojas-Rueda
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Physical Activity ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Traffic Fatalities ◽  
Premature Deaths ◽  
Air Pollution Exposure ◽  
Pollution Exposure

Background: Bicycling has been associated with health benefits. Local and national authorities have been promoting bicycling as a tool to improve public health and the environment. Mexico is one of the largest Latin American countries, with high levels of sedentarism and non-communicable diseases. No previous studies have estimated the health impacts of Mexico’s national bicycling scenarios. Aim: Quantify the health impacts of Mexico urban bicycling scenarios. Methodology: Quantitative Health Impact Assessment, estimating health risks and benefits of bicycling scenarios in 51,718,756 adult urban inhabitants in Mexico (between 20 and 64 years old). Five bike scenarios were created based on current bike trends in Mexico. The number of premature deaths (increased or reduced) was estimated in relation to physical activity, road traffic fatalities, and air pollution. Input data were collected from national publicly available data sources from transport, environment, health and population reports, and surveys, in addition to scientific literature. Results: We estimated that nine premature deaths are prevented each year among urban populations in Mexico on the current car-bike substitution and trip levels (1% of bike trips), with an annual health economic benefit of US $1,897,920. If Mexico achieves similar trip levels to those reported in The Netherlands (27% of bike trips), 217 premature deaths could be saved annually, with an economic impact of US $45,760,960. In all bicycling scenarios assessed in Mexico, physical activity’s health benefits outweighed the health risks related to traffic fatalities and air pollution exposure. Conclusion: The study found that bicycling promotion in Mexico would provide important health benefits. The benefits of physical activity outweigh the risk from traffic fatalities and air pollution exposure in bicyclists. At the national level, Mexico could consider using sustainable transport policies as a tool to promote public health. Specifically, the support of active transportation through bicycling and urban design improvements could encourage physical activity and its health co-benefits.

Limited English Proficiency and Disparities in Clinical Research

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Bustillos
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Genetic Predisposition ◽  
Limited English Proficiency ◽  
Environmental Pollutants ◽  
The United States ◽  
United States Today ◽  
United States Population ◽  
Physical Susceptibility

Imagine that you possess an indicator for a disease or illness that has nothing to do with your body. It is not a genetic predisposition to acquire cancer or a vice that raises the probability of contracting some dread disease, though estimates of its health risks have placed it on par with having diabetes. It has nothing to do with the environmental pollutants you are exposed to or whether you can afford health care. It is not a physical susceptibility that renders you more easily reachable by the clutches of pathology. No, this indicator of health hinges on certain learned abilities and skills, and it is a barrier to health that is totally within the health field's power and resources to lift.The condition hinted at above is the inability to speak English proficiently in the United States. Today, more than one-sixth of the United States population speaks a language other than English at home, and this number (approximately 50 million people) is increasing rapidly.

scholarly journals Environmental Health Workforce – Essential for Interdisciplinary Solutions to the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin J. Ryan ◽  
Raymond Swienton ◽  
Curt Harris ◽  
James J. James
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Health ◽  
Health Workforce ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Health Workforce ◽  
Primary Role ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mass Gatherings ◽  
Response And Recovery

ABSTRACT Interdisciplinary public health solutions are vital for an effective coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response and recovery. However, there is often a lack of awareness and understanding of the environmental health workforce connections and capabilities. In the United States, this is a foundational function of health departments and is the second largest public health workforce. The primary role is to protect the public from exposures to environmental hazards, disasters, and disease outbreaks. More specifically, this includes addressing risks relating to sanitation, drinking water, food safety, vector control, and mass gatherings. This profession is also recognized in the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2019. Despite this, the profession is often not considered an essential service. Rapid integration into COVID-19 activities can easily occur as most are government employees and experienced working in complex and stressful situations. This role, for example, could include working with leaders, businesses, workplaces, and churches to safely reopen, and inspections to inform, educate, and empower employers, employees, and the public on safe actions. There is now the legislative support, evidence and a window of opportunity to truly enable interdisciplinary public health solutions by mobilizing the environmental health workforce to support COVID-19 response, recovery, and resilience activities.

scholarly journals From Science to Policy and Practice: A Critical Assessment of Knowledge Management before, during, and after Environmental Public Health Disasters

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 587 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélissa Généreux ◽  
Marc Lafontaine ◽  
Angela Eykelbosh
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Knowledge To Action ◽  
Environmental Public Health ◽  
Critical Success ◽  
Advisory Groups ◽  
Practice Advisory

Canada regularly faces environmental public health (EPH) disasters. Given the importance of evidence-based, risk-informed decision-making, we aimed to critically assess the integration of EPH expertise and research into each phase of disaster management. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 leaders in disaster management from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, and were complemented by other qualitative methods. Three topics were examined: governance, knowledge creation/translation, and related barriers/needs. Data were analyzed through a four-step content analysis. Six critical success factors emerged from the analysis: blending the best of traditional and modern approaches; fostering community engagement; cultivating relationships; investing in preparedness and recovery; putting knowledge into practice; and ensuring sufficient human and financial resources. Several promising knowledge-to-action strategies were also identified, including mentorship programs, communities of practice, advisory groups, systematized learning, and comprehensive repositories of tools and resources. There is no single roadmap to incorporate EPH expertise and research into disaster management. Our findings suggest that preparation for and management of EPH disaster risks requires effective long-term collaboration between science, policy, and EPH practitioners at all levels in order to facilitate coordinated and timely deployment of multi-sectoral/jurisdictional resources when and where they are most needed.

A Proposed Ban on the Sale to and Possession of Caloric Sweetened Beverages by Minors in Public

2014 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
James G. Hodge ◽  
Leila Barraza ◽  
Susan Russo ◽  
Kellie Nelson ◽  
Greg Measer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Childhood Obesity ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Health Conditions ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Sweetened Beverages ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
Health Experts

Obesity is the definitive epidemic of the modern era in the United States. Its well-documented public health impacts, especially related to children and adolescents, are horrific. Nearly one-third of American minors are overweight; over 50% of them are obese. Already, these kids suffer from multiple adverse physical and mental health conditions. Sadly, absent serious communal and individual interventions, their lives may be cut short compared to their own parents’ life expectancy. While recent surveillance suggests childhood obesity may be trending down slightly in some populations, public health experts remain concerned about the threat obesity poses to the health of America's youth.The concurrent travesty underlying childhood obesity is the relative societal failure to slow and reverse its spread.

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