Environmental Health Knowledge Does Not Necessarily Translate to Action in Youth

Shereen Elshaer, Lisa J. Martin, Theresa A. Baker, Erin Roberts, Paola Rios-Santiago, Ross Kaufhold and Melinda Butsch Kovacic ()
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Shereen Elshaer: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Lisa J. Martin: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Theresa A. Baker: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Erin Roberts: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Paola Rios-Santiago: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Ross Kaufhold: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
Melinda Butsch Kovacic: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: Environmental challenges pose serious health problems, especially for children, and lay public action is lacking. This study sought to characterize the relationship between environmental health knowledge and behavior in youth. A cross-sectional, descriptive survey with quantitative and qualitative questions was conducted. Open-ended questions were coded to generate themes/subthemes. Subscales’ scores were presented as mean ± SD or median and interquartile range (IQR). T- and Mann–Whitney tests were used to compare groups, and correlations were used to evaluate covariation. A total of 452 children were surveyed. Youth verbalized concerns about their environments and their impact on health. Air pollution was the most concerning issue. Participants had moderate knowledge scores. Few described the three health domains; even fewer included environment. Behavior scores were low and weakly correlated with knowledge, but were moderately correlated with attitude and self-efficacy. Participation in environmental classes, activities, and clubs was associated with higher scores. We found variable environmental health knowledge, limited understanding of the local environment’s impact on health, and a weak association between youth’s knowledge and behavior. Focused formal and non-formal educational experiences were associated with improved scores, indicating the value of targeted youth educational programming to increase environmental health knowledge and action.

Keywords: local environment; knowledge; environmental health; behavior; children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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