Healthy environment, healthy lungs

During the formative stage of the project, nine focus groups were conducted on the U.S./Mexico border with local stakeholder groups to determine the community's environmental health needs, the target audience, and appropriate dissemination strategies for a subsequent environmental health education intervention. Focus groups were conducted in April and May of 2006 in Somerton, AZ; Anthony, NM: and Mission/McAllen, TX with three types of stakeholder groups--community residents, health promoters, and health care providers.

Some important conclusions were drawn from the focus groups.

* Perceived contaminants included smoke, fumes, dust, pollen, chemicals, odors, insects, noise, and dead animals.

* All perceived sources of pollution were associated with rapid industrial expansion and inadequate public services.

* Asthma was highly prevalent among community residents, although many other health problems were mentioned in relation to air pollution.

* Participants identified children, senior citizens and people with chronic diseases as especially vulnerable to asthma.

* Some health care providers could benefit from better understanding of the problems experienced by the community they serve and the presence or absence of resources to deal with environmentally-related health problems. As such, their treatment recommendations often do not take into account the barriers to compliance with these treatments that community residents face.

* Residents and health promoters lacked the knowledge about government structure and the confidence to address pollution in their community through civic participation.

* Community residents thought that an asthma health intervention could help them by increasing awareness about pollution and its effects on people's health, and teaching people to recognize asthma symptoms and know when to go to the doctor.

* All three stakeholder groups identified health promoters as the best group to deliver asthma information to the community.

Recommendations

* Since early detection of asthma is important, an environmental health intervention should target children through educating parents about asthma, symptoms and treatment. This strategy would optimize early detection among children--one of the most vulnerable groups to asthma.

* Health promoters would be the best vehicle for the dissemination of environmental health education because they have the trust of the community and the time and social connections to reach more community members.

* Providers need more information on how to talk to their patients about the prevention and treatment of asthma so that they can recommend feasible strategies for asthma management to overcome economic and environmental barriers.

* Community members need and want information and tools to change the environment at the community level. An environmental health intervention should include a module on how to engage community members in the civic process and work with government officials to bring about community change.