Defining Environmental Health Literacy

Marti Lindsey, Shaw-Ree Chen, Richmond Ben, Melissa Manoogian and Jordan Spradlin
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Marti Lindsey: Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Shaw-Ree Chen: Quality & Safety Institute, Rochester Regional Health, Rochester, NY 14617, USA
Richmond Ben: Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Melissa Manoogian: Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
Jordan Spradlin: Southwest Environmental Health Sciences Center, College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-15

Abstract: “Environmental Health Literacy” (EHL) is embraced as important for improving public health by preventing disability and disease from our environment. This study aimed to determine knowledge and skill items identified by Environmental Health (EH) professionals as being associated with EHL and to understand how these items rank by importance. Such a coordinated effort to tease out skills and knowledge needed for EHL had not previously been made. We utilized a mixed-methods approach of semi-structured interviews of 24 EH professionals and a quantitative survey with 275 EH professionals across the United States. Interviews identified 37 skill and 69 knowledge items, which were used to create the survey questions. Survey results indicate 32 knowledge items and six skill items considered essential by >50% of respondents where consensus was reached between professional groups (chi square test: p > 0.05). We further identified six knowledge items, which >70% of EH professionals agreed were essential for EHL. The identification of these knowledge and skill items sets the stage for further research that includes exploring agreement with more diverse stakeholders, developing comprehensive measures of EHL and evaluation of methods and materials designed to improve EHL.

Keywords: environmental health; literacy; knowledge; skills; risk communication; disease prevention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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