Examination of Awareness, Knowledge, and Beliefs Regarding Radon

Radon;Ethnicity;Latino;Health;Environmental;Physicians;Environmental Health & Engineering

Cronin, ChrysanBowie, Janice ;

Johns Hopkins University

关键词: Radon;    Ethnicity;    Latino;    Health;    Environmental;    Physicians;    Environmental Health & Engineering;   

Others  :  https://jscholarship.library.jhu.edu/bitstream/handle/1774.2/59975/CRONIN-DISSERTATION-2018.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

瑞士|英语

来源: JOHNS HOPKINS DSpace Repository

【 摘 要 】

Problem:Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and accounts for over 21,000 deaths in the US each year. The only way to know if radon is present is to test for it.Allentown, PA, with a 47% Hispanic population, has some of the highest levels of indoor radon in the world, yet only a small portion of the population has ever tested their homes.We hypothesized that there are factors unique to the Allentown population that are associated with this low testing rate. We also examined the role of health care providers in disseminating radon information.Methods:Two cross-sectional studies were conducted in Allentown, PA.The first was a survey of 551 residents, which examined the relationship of awareness, knowledge, and beliefs about radon to ethnicity, primary language, age, income, homeownership, zip code, and education level.Testing and mitigation behaviors were also evaluated.The second cross-sectional survey of 40 health care providers was conducted to determine the level of communication about radon risk with their patients.Results: In the first study, we found significant differences between radon awareness in relation to ethnicity, age, primary language, zip code, homeownership, education level and income. Overall, 64% of the population reported ever hearing of radon.Of those, 74% were non-Hispanic and 26% were Hispanic.Hispanics were less likely to have heard of radon even when controlling for other variables.In the second study, we found that only 5% of the health care providers who were surveyed ever discussed radon with their patients.Conclusion:These findings demonstrate a need for more effective and culturally appropriate communication strategies about radon risk that specifically target the Hispanic population.Also, health care providers (HCPs) have the potential to play an essential role in communicating the health risks of radon exposure.Professional medical associations can facilitate this by recommending that HCPs discuss environmental health risks with patients, especially in high-risk areas.Finally, there is a need for policies that require mandatory radon testing and mitigation in rental properties, schools, and daycare centers to protect citizens from harmful exposure to radon not only in Pennsylvania, but in the entire US.