Making Air Pollution Visible: A Tool for Promoting Environmental Health Literacy

Abstract

BackgroundDigital maps are instrumental in conveying information about environmental hazards geographically. For laypersons, computer-based maps can serve as tools to promote environmental health literacy about invisible traffic-related air pollution and ultrafine particles. Concentrations of these pollutants are higher near major roadways and increasingly linked to adverse health effects. Interactive computer maps provide visualizations that can allow users to build mental models of the spatial distribution of ultrafine particles in a community and learn about the risk of exposure in a geographic context.ObjectiveThe objective of this work was to develop a new software tool appropriate for educating members of the Boston Chinatown community (Boston, MA, USA) about the nature and potential health risks of traffic-related air pollution. The tool, the Interactive Map of Chinatown Traffic Pollution (“Air Pollution Map” hereafter), is a prototype that can be adapted for the purpose of educating community members across a range of socioeconomic contexts.MethodsWe built the educational visualization tool on the open source Weave software platform. We designed the tool as the centerpiece of a multimodal and intergenerational educational intervention about the health risk of traffic-related air pollution. We used a previously published fine resolution (20 m) hourly land-use regression model of ultrafine particles as the algorithm for predicting pollution levels and applied it to one neighborhood, Boston Chinatown. In designing the map, we consulted community experts to help customize the user interface to communication styles prevalent in the target community.ResultsThe product is a map that displays ultrafine particulate concentrations averaged across census blocks using a color gradation from white to dark red. The interactive features allow users to explore and learn how changing meteorological conditions and traffic volume influence ultrafine particle concentrations. Users can also select from multiple map layers, such as a street map or satellite view. The map legends and labels are available in both Chinese and English, and are thus accessible to immigrants and residents with proficiency in either language. The map can be either Web or desktop based.ConclusionsThe Air Pollution Map incorporates relevant language and landmarks to make complex scientific information about ultrafine particles accessible to members of the Boston Chinatown community. In future work, we will test the map in an educational intervention that features intergenerational colearning and the use of supplementary multimedia presentations.

A national survey of ambient air pollution health literacy among adult residents of Taiwan

“…Therefore, we developed the AAPHL questionnaire on the basis of an existing conceptual framework of health literacy proposed by the European Health Literacy Consortium, which composed of 12 subdomains of health literacy formed by 4 information processing competencies of individuals (ie, accessing, understanding, appraising, and applying) and 3 health contexts (ie, healthcare, disease prevention, and health promotion) [ 19 ]. Despite that, only very few studies have been conducted to address the issue of EHL on ambient air pollution and health threats [ 20 , 21 ], and no survey data on ambient air pollution health literacy available at a population-based level. We therefore conducted this national population-based survey on level of AAPHL in adult residents of Taiwan.…”

Rethinking environmental justice: capability building, public knowledge and the struggle against traffic-related air pollution

“…Dissemination of environmental information, if not tailored to audiences with different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, results in differentiated learning. Given the movement’s strategic emphasis on distributive justice and on mobilizing and informing white middle class residents, we could assume that poor and ethnic minority groups benefit the least (Cleary et al., 2017). In what follows, we analyze the capabilities of poorer urbanites with an ethnic minority background to deal with air pollution.…”