Using Digital Technology to Protect Health in Prolonged Poor Air Quality Episodes: A Case Study of the AirRater App during the Australian 2019-20 Fires
Using Digital Technology to Protect Health in Prolonged Poor Air Quality Episodes: A Case Study of the AirRater App during the Australian 2019-20 Fires
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DOI：
10.3390/fire3030040
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发表时间：
2020-09-01
期刊：
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Johnston, Fay H.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Campbell, Sharon L.;Jones, Penelope J.;Johnston, Fay H.
2019-20年南半球夏季，澳大利亚经历了有记录以来最严重的丛林火灾季节。火灾产生的烟雾影响了 80% 的人口，所有主要人口中心的细颗粒物 (PM2.5) 均大幅且长期超出澳大利亚国家空气质量标准。我们检查了 AirRater（一款免费智能手机应用程序，可以近乎实时地报告空气质量并跟踪用户症状）是否可以帮助这些人群减少烟雾暴露并保护他们的健康。我们向超过 13,000 名 AirRater 用户分发了一项在线调查，以评估他们在 2019-20 丛林火灾季节如何使用这些信息，以及为什么它有助于帮助决策减少个人烟雾暴露。我们收到了 1732 位用户 (13.3%) 的回复。受访者表示，该应用程序非常有用，支持在受烟雾影响期间就日常活动做出明智的决策。通过应用程序提供的信息支持的常见报告活动包括留在室内（76%）、重新安排或计划户外活动（64%）、将地点转移到受影响较小的地区（29%）以及告知药物使用决策（15%）。 AirRater 等创新且易于使用的智能手机应用程序可提供个人级别和特定位置的数据，可以帮助用户减少接触环境危害的机会，从而保护他们的健康。
In the southern hemisphere summer of 2019-20, Australia experienced its most severe bushfire season on record. Smoke from fires affected 80% of the population, with large and prolonged exceedances of the Australian National Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) recorded in all major population centers. We examined if AirRater, a free smartphone app that reports air quality and tracks user symptoms in near real-time, assisted those populations to reduce their smoke exposure and protect their health. We distributed an online survey to over 13,000 AirRater users to assess how they used this information during the 2019-20 bushfire season, and why it was helpful to aid decision-making in reducing personal smoke exposure. We received responses from 1732 users (13.3%). Respondents reported the app was highly useful, supporting informed decision-making regarding daily activities during the smoke-affected period. Commonly reported activities supported by information provided through the app were staying inside (76%), rescheduling or planning outdoor activities (64%), changing locations to less affected areas (29%) and informing decisions on medication use (15%). Innovative and easy-to-use smartphone apps such as AirRater, that provide individual-level and location-specific data, can enable users to reduce their exposure to environmental hazards and therefore protect their health.