Behavioral Science and Community Health Department, University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, Melbourne, FL, USA.
Rev Environ Health. 2011;26(3):197-204. doi: 10.1515/reveh.2011.027.
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.
杜瓦尔县（美国佛罗里达州杰克逊维尔）长期存在环境健康危害，尤其是在其城市核心区域，即健康区 1 中更为普遍。2009 年，杜瓦尔县卫生署对该县女性对甲基汞的认知和实际暴露情况进行了调查。调查发现，受教育程度较高或收入较高的女性对潜在汞暴露的认知度更高。此外，城市核心区的女性比富裕地区的女性认知度更低，暴露程度更高。本研究评估了为育龄妇女提供服务的医疗保健提供者对汞暴露的认知和教育情况。我们调查了 28 家妇女健康诊所。61%（17/28）表示他们为女性患者提供汞暴露教育，无论是书面的还是口头的。在这些诊所中，只有一半（8/17）提供书面教育材料。93%的提供者表示，提供汞暴露教育的好处是“社区中发育中的胎儿和幼儿更健康”。提供者认为提供汞暴露和风险信息的两个障碍是：（a）患者缺乏兴趣；（b）缺乏清晰易懂的教育材料。我们的 *-8 项目的长期目标是开发和分发文化上有效的、低识字材料，由健康诊所分发，以记录对汞暴露风险的认知度提高，并减轻杜瓦尔县弱势人群群体因汞暴露而导致的不良健康后果。
