Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water

Environmental health literacy (EHL) is developing as a framework that can inform educational interventions designed to facilitate individual and collective action to protect health, yet EHL measurement poses several challenges. While some studies have measured environmental health knowledge resultin...

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Main Authors: Kathleen M. Gray, Victoria Triana, Marti Lindsey, Benjamin Richmond, Anna Goodman Hoover, Chris Wiesen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
Series:International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/17/9298
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spelling doaj-5550a4d9ec1e41229110ba9cf398cdc92021-09-09T13:45:59ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health1661-78271660-46012021-09-01189298929810.3390/ijerph18179298Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well WaterKathleen M. Gray0Victoria Triana1Marti Lindsey2Benjamin Richmond3Anna Goodman Hoover4Chris Wiesen5Institute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USAInstitute for the Environment, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USASouthwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USASouthwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USADepartment of Preventive Medicine & Environmental Health, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USAOdum Institute for Research in Social Science, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USAEnvironmental health literacy (EHL) is developing as a framework that can inform educational interventions designed to facilitate individual and collective action to protect health, yet EHL measurement poses several challenges. While some studies have measured environmental health knowledge resulting from interventions, few have incorporated skills and self-efficacy. In this study, a process-focused EHL instrument was developed, using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy instrument as a model and tailoring it for the context of private well contamination with toxic metals. Forty-seven (47) participants, including undergraduate students and residents of communities with contaminated well water, piloted a prototype EHL instrument alongside NVS. Results suggested a moderate degree of correlation between NVS and the EHL prototype, and significant differences in scores were observed between students and residents. Responses to a self-efficacy survey, tailored for drinking water contaminated with arsenic, revealed significant differences between students and residents on items related to cost and distance. In response to open-ended questions, participants identified a range of potential environmental contaminants in drinking water and deemed varied information sources as reliable. This study highlights differences in knowledge and self-efficacy among students and residents and raises questions about the adequacy of EHL assessments that mimic formal education approaches.https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/17/9298environmental health literacydrinking waterwell watertoxic metalsself-efficacy
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Kathleen M. Gray
Victoria Triana
Marti Lindsey
Benjamin Richmond
Anna Goodman Hoover
Chris Wiesen
spellingShingle Kathleen M. Gray
Victoria Triana
Marti Lindsey
Benjamin Richmond
Anna Goodman Hoover
Chris Wiesen
Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
environmental health literacy
drinking water
well water
toxic metals
self-efficacy
author_facet Kathleen M. Gray
Victoria Triana
Marti Lindsey
Benjamin Richmond
Anna Goodman Hoover
Chris Wiesen
author_sort Kathleen M. Gray
title Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water
title_short Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water
title_full Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water
title_fullStr Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water
title_full_unstemmed Knowledge and Beliefs Associated with Environmental Health Literacy: A Case Study Focused on Toxic Metals Contamination of Well Water
title_sort knowledge and beliefs associated with environmental health literacy: a case study focused on toxic metals contamination of well water
publisher MDPI AG
series International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
issn 1661-7827
1660-4601
publishDate 2021-09-01
description Environmental health literacy (EHL) is developing as a framework that can inform educational interventions designed to facilitate individual and collective action to protect health, yet EHL measurement poses several challenges. While some studies have measured environmental health knowledge resulting from interventions, few have incorporated skills and self-efficacy. In this study, a process-focused EHL instrument was developed, using the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy instrument as a model and tailoring it for the context of private well contamination with toxic metals. Forty-seven (47) participants, including undergraduate students and residents of communities with contaminated well water, piloted a prototype EHL instrument alongside NVS. Results suggested a moderate degree of correlation between NVS and the EHL prototype, and significant differences in scores were observed between students and residents. Responses to a self-efficacy survey, tailored for drinking water contaminated with arsenic, revealed significant differences between students and residents on items related to cost and distance. In response to open-ended questions, participants identified a range of potential environmental contaminants in drinking water and deemed varied information sources as reliable. This study highlights differences in knowledge and self-efficacy among students and residents and raises questions about the adequacy of EHL assessments that mimic formal education approaches.
topic environmental health literacy
drinking water
well water
toxic metals
self-efficacy
url https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/17/9298
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