Decision Research, Eugene, OR 97401, USA.
Risk Anal. 2012 Jan;32(1):39-53. doi: 10.1111/j.1539-6924.2011.01669.x. Epub 2011 Aug 29.
Communication about air pollution can help reduce health risks, but a scattered, largely qualitative literature on air pollution beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors raises questions about its effectiveness. A telephone survey of Paterson, New Jersey (USA) residents tested four hypotheses aimed toward integrating these findings. Self-reported sheltering indoors during high pollution, the recommended strategy, was predicted by perceived air quality and self-reported "sensitivity" to air pollution. Nearly a quarter of the sample reported mandatory outdoor activity (e.g., work) that might increase their exposures, but this factor did not significantly affect self-reported sheltering. Perceptions of air quality did not correlate strongly with official monitoring data (U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI)); even people who regularly sought AQI data relied upon sensory cues to high pollution, and secondarily upon health cues. Use of sensory and health cues, definitions of what makes someone sensitive to air pollution, and (less strongly) definitions of vulnerability to air pollution varied widely. The minority aware of the AQI were more likely to seek it if they had illnesses or saw themselves in the targeted AQI audience, yet less likely if they believed themselves sensitive to pollution. However, their sense of the AQI's match to their own experience was driven by whether they used sensory (yes) or health (no) cues, not by illness status. Some urban residents might not have access to AQI data, but this barrier seems outweighed by need to bridge interpretive gaps over definitions of air pollution, sensory perception, vulnerability, and health consequences.
关于空气污染的沟通可以帮助降低健康风险，但关于空气污染的信仰、态度和行为的文献零散且主要是定性的，这引发了对其有效性的质疑。对美国新泽西州帕特森市居民的电话调查检验了四个假设，旨在整合这些发现。在高污染期间，建议的室内避难策略是自我报告的，这是由感知空气质量和自我报告的对空气污染的“敏感性”所预测的。近四分之一的样本报告了强制性的户外活动（例如工作），这可能会增加他们的暴露，但这一因素并没有显著影响自我报告的避难。对空气质量的看法与官方监测数据（美国空气质量指数（AQI））没有很强的相关性；即使是经常寻求 AQI 数据的人，也依赖于对高污染的感官线索，其次是健康线索。对感官和健康线索的使用、对谁对空气污染敏感的定义，以及（较弱）对空气污染脆弱性的定义，差异很大。少数了解 AQI 的人如果有疾病或认为自己属于目标 AQI 受众，更有可能寻求 AQI，但如果他们认为自己对污染敏感，则不太可能寻求 AQI。然而，他们对 AQI 与其自身经验的匹配程度取决于他们使用的是感官（是）还是健康（否）线索，而不是疾病状况。一些城市居民可能无法获得 AQI 数据，但由于需要弥合对空气污染、感官感知、脆弱性和健康后果的定义的解释差距，这一障碍似乎被抵消了。
