Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and Lebanon
Background: Communicating air pollution to the public is essential in reducing exposure to air pollutants through increasing awareness and promoting precautionary actions. However, one way to approach the public is through healthcare professionals who are considered public health leaders and could i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Environmental Health Insights |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/11786302221127851 |
| _version_ | 1798030870944153600 |
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| author | Rami Saadeh Yousef Khader Mazen Malkawi Mohammed Z Allouh |
| author_facet | Rami Saadeh Yousef Khader Mazen Malkawi Mohammed Z Allouh |
| author_sort | Rami Saadeh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Communicating air pollution to the public is essential in reducing exposure to air pollutants through increasing awareness and promoting precautionary actions. However, one way to approach the public is through healthcare professionals who are considered public health leaders and could influence the public’s opinion. The current study aimed to investigate the perception of health experts about communicating air pollution to the public. Methods: Personal interviews of 32 health professionals were conducted to report their opinions about communication of air pollution through an open-ended questionnaire. Interview questions were focused on 5 themes: common air pollutants and health risks, goals and barriers of communication, types of information to disseminate, target groups, and vehicles of communication. Results: Interviewees agreed that air pollution should be communicated to the public. Major barriers to achieving effective communication were people’s poor comprehension and lack of interest of policymakers. The levels of pollution, associated health risks, and ways to protect one’s self were the most frequently reported types of information to distribute. Most interviewees focused on patients with pre-existing conditions and children as the main target groups. Further, social media and text messages were preferred as vehicles of communication. Conclusion: Although not all interviewees had a clear idea of how to develop and implement a communication system, most of them agreed on its importance in protecting the public. More emphasis on this topic and further investigations are expected to increase the interest of health care professionals in communicating the risks of air pollution and advocating for public health policies regarding air pollution. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:48:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9125ff65c1c74376afbc640021611c9e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1178-6302 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T19:48:14Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Health Insights |
| spelling | doaj.art-9125ff65c1c74376afbc640021611c9e2022-12-22T04:06:23ZengSAGE PublishingEnvironmental Health Insights1178-63022022-10-011610.1177/11786302221127851Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and LebanonRami Saadeh0Yousef Khader1Mazen Malkawi2Mohammed Z Allouh3Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JordanDepartment of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, JordanWorld Health Organization, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Centre for Environmental Health Action, Amman, JordanDepartment of Anatomy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAEBackground: Communicating air pollution to the public is essential in reducing exposure to air pollutants through increasing awareness and promoting precautionary actions. However, one way to approach the public is through healthcare professionals who are considered public health leaders and could influence the public’s opinion. The current study aimed to investigate the perception of health experts about communicating air pollution to the public. Methods: Personal interviews of 32 health professionals were conducted to report their opinions about communication of air pollution through an open-ended questionnaire. Interview questions were focused on 5 themes: common air pollutants and health risks, goals and barriers of communication, types of information to disseminate, target groups, and vehicles of communication. Results: Interviewees agreed that air pollution should be communicated to the public. Major barriers to achieving effective communication were people’s poor comprehension and lack of interest of policymakers. The levels of pollution, associated health risks, and ways to protect one’s self were the most frequently reported types of information to distribute. Most interviewees focused on patients with pre-existing conditions and children as the main target groups. Further, social media and text messages were preferred as vehicles of communication. Conclusion: Although not all interviewees had a clear idea of how to develop and implement a communication system, most of them agreed on its importance in protecting the public. More emphasis on this topic and further investigations are expected to increase the interest of health care professionals in communicating the risks of air pollution and advocating for public health policies regarding air pollution.https://doi.org/10.1177/11786302221127851 |
| spellingShingle | Rami Saadeh Yousef Khader Mazen Malkawi Mohammed Z Allouh Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and Lebanon Environmental Health Insights |
| title | Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and Lebanon |
| title_full | Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and Lebanon |
| title_fullStr | Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and Lebanon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and Lebanon |
| title_short | Communicating the Risks of Air Pollution to the Public: A Perspective from Jordan and Lebanon |
| title_sort | communicating the risks of air pollution to the public a perspective from jordan and lebanon |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/11786302221127851 |
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