Assessing Environmental Health Hazard Awareness for Sustainability: A Survey of Adults in Saudi Arabia

Ahmad Y. Alqassim (), Abdullah A. Alharbi, Mohammed A. Muaddi, Razan M. Jurebi, Lojain I. Daak, Atheer I. Moafa, Marwa A. Masmali, Rawan N. Salami, Hatoon Y. Zakri, Ahmed M. Wafi, Abdulrahman Y. Alqasem and Mohamed Salih Mahfouz
Additional contact information
Ahmad Y. Alqassim: Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah A. Alharbi: Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed A. Muaddi: Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Razan M. Jurebi: Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Lojain I. Daak: Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Atheer I. Moafa: Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Marwa A. Masmali: Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Rawan N. Salami: Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Hatoon Y. Zakri: Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed M. Wafi: Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Abdulrahman Y. Alqasem: Jazan Health Department, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Salih Mahfouz: Family and Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 2, 1-12

Abstract: Rapid modernization in Saudi Arabia has led to environmental challenges like pollution. Public understanding of pollutants is crucial for public participation in Saudi government efforts to monitor and mitigate impacts. This cross-sectional observational study aimed to assess the awareness and perceptions of environmental pollutants among 817 adults in Saudi Arabia’s Jazan region. The online survey identified transportation and industrial emissions as widely recognized hazards, but there were gaps regarding risks like asbestos. Illegal dumping and junk houses were major concerns. Females had 1.86 times higher adjusted odds of concern about outdoor environmental risks compared to males (AOR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.12–2.84; p = 0.004). Participants with high school education or above had significantly increased odds of concern about outdoor hazards, with 4.27 times higher odds for those with high school education (AOR: 4.27; 95% CI: 1.92–9.52; p < 0.001) and 3.51 times higher odds for those with university education or above (AOR: 3.51; 95% CI: 1.59–7.72; p = 0.002). Self-reported environmental interest was strongly associated with concern about outdoor and indoor air pollution, with 4.89 times higher adjusted odds of concern about outdoor air pollution (AOR: 4.89, 95% CI: 3.02–7.93, p < 0.001) and 2.86 times higher adjusted odds of concern about indoor air quality (AOR: 2.86, 95% CI: 2.86–4.47, p < 0.001). Overall, Jazan residents display general but incomplete awareness of health hazards, signaling a need for expanded educational efforts to improve consciousness of less visible pollutants. Effective public communication strategies built on these insights can strengthen societal environmental awareness in Saudi Arabia and promote sustainability.

Keywords: environmental health; hazard awareness; risk perception; health literacy; sustainability; Saudi Arabia; education level; communication campaigns; health behaviors (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/2/593/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/2/593/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:2:p:593-:d:1316172

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().