Awareness Is Not Enough: Frequent Use of Water Pollution Information and Changes to Risky Behavior
Awareness Is Not Enough: Frequent Use of Water Pollution Information and Changes to Risky Behavior
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DOI：
10.3390/su12208695
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发表时间：
2020-10-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.9
通讯作者：
Quigg, Antonietta
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Ross, Ashley D.;Hotard, Abbey;Quigg, Antonietta
危害信息在如何形成风险认知和采取何种行动应对风险方面起着重要作用。虽然过去的研究表明，关于水和空气污染的信息与个人行为的变化有关，但有必要在环境干扰的背景下审查水质信息。这项研究填补了这一空白，研究了美国一个活跃的工业区——德克萨斯州的加尔维斯顿湾的水污染。利用2019年对生活在加尔维斯顿湾地区的525名成年人收集的原始调查数据，使用逻辑回归分析了水污染信息的意识和使用与户外活动变化以及饮用水和/或海鲜消费之间的关联。模型中包括了慢性和急性暴露于环境危害、环境知识和经验以及人口统计数据的控制。研究结果表明，经常使用水质信息与减少风险的行动显著相关。平均而言，每天查看水污染监测的人比不了解这一信息的人改变户外活动和消费行为的可能性分别高26%和33%。有必要改进污染数据的收集和制定风险通报框架，以便以相关、可获得和可信的方式传播这些信息。
Hazard information plays an important role in how risk perceptions are formed and what actions are taken in response to risk. While past studies have shown that information on water and air pollution is associated with changes to individual behavior, there is a need for examination of water quality information in the context of environmental disturbances. This study fills that gap by examining water pollution in an active industrial region of the United States-the Galveston Bay of Texas. Using original survey data collected in 2019 of 525 adults living in the Galveston Bay region, logistic regression was used to analyze the association of awareness and use of water pollution information on changes to outdoor activities and consumption of drinking water and/or seafood. Controls for chronic and acute exposure to environmental hazards, environmental knowledge and experience, and demographics were included in the model. The findings indicate frequent use of water quality information is significantly associated with action to reduce risk. On average, an individual who checks water pollution monitoring every day is 26% and 33% more likely to change their outdoor activities and consumption behavior, respectively, than someone who is not aware of this information. There is a need for improvement in pollution data collection and the development of a risk communication framework that facilitates the dissemination of this information in relevant, accessible, and credible ways.