April 7-9, 2022 • Hyatt Regency • Lexington, KY
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Communication Strategies to Promote Comprehensive Well-being
Abstract: Child Care Providers’ Efficacy Towards Testing Water for Lead: Important Implications for Environmental Health Literacy
There is significant evidence that children’s exposure to lead, a heavy metal toxicant, creates significant and long-lasting neurological damage (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Children can be exposed to lead from many sources such as dust, deteriorating lead-based paint, and imported toys and jewelry (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Lead exposure from drinking water sources continues to be problematic (Hanna-Attisha et al., 2016). In response, the State of Illinois recently enacted new legislation requiring child care providers (Providers) to test their water for lead contamination (225 ILCS 10/5.9; PA 99-0922). However, there is evidence that Providers have a low level of environmental health literacy (EHL) and may not understand the dangers that toxicants, such as lead, pose to children in their care (Koester et al., 2021). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between EHL and child care providers efficacy towards testing water for lead (TWL). Our research question was “Does environmental health literacy predict child care providers’ efficacy towards testing water for lead?” Method: This data draws from a broader survey of 528 Illinois Providers (97.2% female) that were surveyed in the fall of 2019. The survey included Providers’ conceptualization of “environment” and “children’s environmental health”, their concern for children’s environmental health issues, factual knowledge about environmental influences on children’s health, efficacy towards testing water for lead, and political orientation. Participants gave their informed consent and were surveyed via the online survey platform Qualtrics. Results: Analysis indicated that environmental health literacy (β = -0.17, p = .001) contributed significantly to the prediction of efficacy of testing water for lead, R2 = .09, F (3, 524) = 17.87, p = .001. The F test for ∆R2 results indicated that environmental health literacy significantly predicted efficacy of testing water for lead after controlling for the variables of experience and political orientation F(1, 524) = 17.195, p = .001. Discussion: This study sought to investigate the influence of environmental health literacy on child care providers’ efficacy for testing water for lead. These results indicate that Providers with greater EHL also have more efficacy towards TWL. This study has important implications for protecting children’s health in child care settings. The results provide further evidence that children’s environmental health researchers and advocates should target Providers for training, outreach and education focused on contributors to children’s environmental health, including lead exposures. Further, policy makers and child care regulatory agencies that are tasked with enforcing regulations for TWL should ensure that the information and training they provide also addresses EHL so that Providers have a better understanding about the importance of TWL.