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An examination of radon awareness, risk communication, and radon risk reduction in a Hispanic community.
International Journal of Radiation Biology ( IF 2.6 ) Pub Date : 2020-02-27 , DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2020.1730013
Chrysan Cronin 1 , Michael Trush 2 , William Bellamy 2 , James Russell 3 , Paul Locke 2
Affiliation  

Purpose: Radiation risk communication is a critical component of radiation protection and the public’s understanding of radiation risks and benefits. Risk communication becomes even more complicated when considering cultural and language differences. In the US, many diverse communities face risk communication challenges. We obtained radon testing data to evaluate patterns of radon testing in Allentown, the third largest city in Pennsylvania. Radon exposure is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking and is associated with over 21,000 lung cancer deaths in the US annually. It is estimated that 1 in every 15 homes in the US has elevated radon levels above the recommended action level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Allentown has some of the highest reported levels of indoor radon in the country, yet only a small portion of the population has tested their homes. This is true particularly among self-identified Hispanics, who make up nearly half of the city’s population. This study seeks to (1) characterize the difference in testing rates between self-identified Hispanics and non-Hispanics in Allentown, (2) quantify the level of radon awareness and knowledge, (3) identify potential obstacles to radon testing among the Allentown population that self-identifies as Hispanic, and (4) determine whether more effective risk communication is needed.

Method: Radon test results in Allentown were analyzed to better understand the nature of radon testing. To evaluate radon awareness and knowledge, a cross-sectional study was conducted using a face-to-face survey. This data was informative in assessing testing and mitigation practices, ethnicity, income level, age, education level, homeowner status, zip code and primary language.

Results: Ethnicity was an independent predictor of radon awareness and knowledge. Statistically significant differences were found between the number of self-identified Hispanics (39%) and non-Hispanics (84%) who indicated that they had ever heard of radon; 13% of Hispanics and 49% of non-Hispanics knew that they lived in an area with typically high radon levels. There was a statistically significant association between self-reported ethnicity and radon testing with non-Hispanics (43%) more likely to test their homes for radon than Hispanics (32%).

Conclusion: Individual and community understanding of the risks of exposure to radiation sources such as radon is dependent upon communication that informs and spurs appropriate action. This study demonstrates the need for culturally appropriate radon risk communication strategies targeted to a Hispanic population. Successful communication will raise awareness and knowledge that can lead to better public health protection.



中文翻译:

在西班牙裔社区中对ra的认识,风险交流和ra风险的降低。

目的:辐射风险交流是辐射防护的重要组成部分,也是公众对辐射风险和利益的理解。考虑文化和语言差异时,风险沟通变得更加复杂。在美国,许多不同的社区都面临着风险沟通方面的挑战。我们获得了ra测试数据,以评估宾夕法尼亚州第三大城市阿伦敦的ra测试模式。exposure暴露是仅次于吸烟的第二大肺癌成因,在美国每年与21,000多例肺癌死亡相关。据估计,美国每15个家庭中就有1个将ra水平提高到美国环境保护署设定的建议行动水平以上。据报道,阿伦敦(Allentown)的室内indoor含量最高,但是只有一小部分人对房屋进行了测试。在占该市人口近一半的自我识别的西班牙裔人中尤其如此。这项研究旨在(1)表征阿伦敦自认的西班牙裔和非西班牙裔美国人之间的测验率差异;(2)量化对don的认识和知识水平;(3)找出阿伦敦人群中进行don测试的潜在障碍自我识别为西班牙裔,并且(4)确定是否需要更有效的风险沟通。

方法:分析阿伦敦的town测试结果,以更好地了解of测试的性质。为了评估ra的认识和知识,使用面对面调查进行了横断面研究。该数据有助于评估测试和缓解措施,种族,收入水平,年龄,受教育程度,房主身份,邮政编码和主要语言。

结果:种族是ra意识和知识的独立预测因子。在自我识别的西班牙裔美国人(39%)和非西班牙裔美国人(84%)之间,他们表示曾经听说过ra,在统计学上有显着差异。13%的西班牙裔美国人和49%的非西班牙裔美国人知道他们生活在typically水平通常很高的地区。自我报告的种族与ra测试之间存在统计上的显着关联,非西班牙裔(43%)比西班牙裔(32%)更有可能测试家中的ra。

结论:个人和社区对暴露于radiation源等辐射源的风险的理解取决于能够告知和采取适当行动的交流。这项研究表明,需要针对西班牙裔人群的文化上适当的ra风险交流策略。成功的沟通将提高人们的认识和知识,从而可以更好地保护公共健康。

更新日期:2020-02-27
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