Mercury exposure education provided by women’s health clinics in Duval County, Florida
-
Victoria Chau
and
David Wood
Abstract
Duval County (Jacksonville, FL, USA) has a long history of environmental health hazards, especially prevalent within its urban core, referred to as Health Zone 1. In 2009, the Duval County Health Department conducted a survey of awareness of and actual exposure to methylmercury among women in the county. The survey found that women with more education or higher incomes had a higher awareness of potential mercury exposures. Furthermore, women in the urban core were less aware and had higher exposure than those in more affluent areas. This study assesses the mercury-exposure awareness and education by healthcare providers serving women of child-bearing age. We surveyed 28 women’s health clinic offices. Sixty-one percent (17/28) indicated that they provide mercury exposure education to female patients, either written or verbal. Of these, only half (8/17) provide written education materials. Ninety-three percent of the providers indicated that a benefit to providing education on mercury exposure, is having “healthier developing fetuses and young children in the community”. Two barriers identified by providers to offering information on mercury exposure and risk were (a) a lack of interest among patients, and (b) a lack of clear, understandable educational materials. The long-term goal of our * -8project is to develop and distribute culturally effective, low literacy materials for distribution by health clinics, to document the increased awareness of mercury exposure risks, and to lessen the adverse health outcomes that may result from mercury exposure among vulnerable population groups in Duval County.
©2011 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorials
- Break the cycle of environmental health disparities in vulnerable children
- Environmental health disparities in children
- Review Articles
- Environmental victims: environmental injustice issues that threaten the health of children living in poverty
- Planning for the North Carolina healthy homes initiative
- Combating childhood obesity: a survey of laws affecting the built environments of low-income and minority children
- The role of physical environment on student health and education in green schools
- The relationship between the built environment and birthweight
- Second hand smoke exposure in children: environmental factors, physiological effects, and interventions within pediatrics
- Original Articles
- Mercury exposure education provided by women’s health clinics in Duval County, Florida
- Crawl spaces as reservoirs for transmission of mold to the livable part of the home environment
- The association between urinary concentrations of dichlorophenol pesticides and obesity in children
- Socioeconomic differences and the impact of being small for gestational age on neurodevelopment among preschool-aged children
Articles in the same Issue
- Editorials
- Break the cycle of environmental health disparities in vulnerable children
- Environmental health disparities in children
- Review Articles
- Environmental victims: environmental injustice issues that threaten the health of children living in poverty
- Planning for the North Carolina healthy homes initiative
- Combating childhood obesity: a survey of laws affecting the built environments of low-income and minority children
- The role of physical environment on student health and education in green schools
- The relationship between the built environment and birthweight
- Second hand smoke exposure in children: environmental factors, physiological effects, and interventions within pediatrics
- Original Articles
- Mercury exposure education provided by women’s health clinics in Duval County, Florida
- Crawl spaces as reservoirs for transmission of mold to the livable part of the home environment
- The association between urinary concentrations of dichlorophenol pesticides and obesity in children
- Socioeconomic differences and the impact of being small for gestational age on neurodevelopment among preschool-aged children
