Citation

Rappold AG, Hano MC, Prince S, Wei L, Huang SM, Baghdikian C, Stearns B, Gao X, Hoshiko S, Cascio WE, Diaz-Sanchez D, Hubbell B. Geohealth 2019; 3(12): 443-457.

Affiliation

United States Environmental Protection Agency, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Environmental Public Health Division Research Triangle Park Durham NC USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, American Geophysical Union, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1029/2019GH000199

PMID

32159029

PMCID

PMC7038881

Abstract

Smoke Sense is a citizen science project with investigative, educational, and action-oriented objectives at the intersection of wildland fire smoke and public health. Participants engage with a smartphone application to explore current and forecast visualizations of air quality, learn about how to protect health from wildfire smoke, and record their smoke experiences, health symptoms, and behaviors taken to reduce their exposures to smoke. Through participation in the project, individuals engage in observing changes in their environment and recording changes in their health, thus facilitating progression on awareness of health effects of air pollution and adoption of desired health-promoting behaviors. Participants can also view what others are reporting. Data from the pilot season (1 August 2017 to 7 January 2018; 5,598 downloads) suggest that there is a clear demand for personally relevant data during wildfire episodes motivated by recognition of environmental hazard and the personal concern for health. However, while participants shared clear perceptions of the environmental hazard and health risks in general, they did not consistently recognize their own personal health risk. The engagement in health protective behavior was driven in response to symptoms rather than as preventive courses of action. We also observed clear differences in the adoption likelihood of various health protective behaviors attributed to barriers and perceived benefits of these actions. As users experience a greater number and severity of symptoms, the perceived benefits of taking health protective actions exceeded the costs associated with the barriers and thus increased adoption of those actions. Based on pilot season data, we summarize key insights which may improve current health risk communications in nudging individuals toward health protective behavior; there is a need to increase personal awareness of risk and compelling evidence that health protective behaviors are beneficial.

Published 2019. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain.

Language: en

Keywords

Citizen Science; Health Behavior; Smartphone App; Wildfire Smoke