Public Health Messaging for Wildfire Smoke: Cast a Wide Net

Frontiers in Public Health

article

Erin M. Shellington¹  Phuong D. M. Nguyen²  Karen Rideout¹  Prabjit Barn¹  Anna Lewis³  Margaret Baillie⁴  Sue Lutz⁴  Ryan W. Allen⁵  Jiayun Yao⁶  Christopher Carlsten¹  Sarah B. Henderson² 

[1] Legacy for Airway Health, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute;Environmental Health Services, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control;Port Alberni Air Quality Council;Community Stakeholder Committee, Legacy for Airway Health, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute;Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University;British Columbia Observatory for Population and Public Health, British Columbia Centre for Disease Control;Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia;Faculty of Medicine, School of Population and Public Health, University of British Columbia

关键词: wildfire;    air pollution;    air quality;    public health;    communication;    knowledge translation;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fpubh.2022.773428

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Wildfire smoke events are increasing in British Columbia (BC), Canada and environmental and public health agencies are responsible for communicating the health-related risks and mitigation strategies. To evaluate and identify opportunities for improving public communications about wildfire smoke and associated health risks we collaborated with end-users and developed a 32-question online survey. The survey was deployed province-wide from 29 September to 31 December 2020 following a severe wildfire smoke episode, which impacted large parts of BC. Using a convenience sample, we disseminated the survey through email lists, radio advertisements, a provincial research platform, and snowball methods. There were 757 respondents, who were generally representative of provincial demographics. Respondents indicated that they receive wildfire smoke messages from diverse sources, including: websites, social media, radio, and television. Radio was identified as the most important source of information for populations that may have increased exposure or health risks, including Indigenous respondents and those working in the trades. Respondents with lower educational attainment expressed that messaging should be simplified. Environmental and public health agencies should continue to share wildfire smoke messages using diverse methods, ideally tailoring the messages and methods to specific populations at risk for exposure and health effects.

【 授权许可】

CC BY