Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
J Sch Health. 2012 May;82(5):246-52. doi: 10.1111/j.1746-1561.2012.00694.x.
No overarching federal agencies or policies are responsible for ensuring environmental health at schools in the United States, potentially allowing many inequities for low-income and minority communities to persist. This article examines emergent research, policy, and practice-based efforts that may be used to identify and address environmental justice at school.
A brief literature review was conducted to understand (1) major mental, behavioral, and physical outcomes associated with environmental risk for school-aged children and (2) current research methods for assessing these relationships. Documents prepared by government agencies, school districts, and advocacy groups were also collected and synthesized to improve understanding of the state of planning and policies for maintaining or improving school environments.
Environmental risk can manifest in diverse ways such as mold, poor air quality, poor community design, or contaminated playgrounds. Deeply rooted in national and state structures of school funding and planning, such risks can lead to outcomes including respiratory illness, poor performance in school, and reduced levels of physical activity. With growing attention to these concerns, methods for measuring environmental risks and underlying disparities have advanced tremendously in the last few decades, yet development of innovative research approaches may be necessary to further advance and evaluate appropriate interventions.
Environmental injustice is generally unacknowledged during decision-making in US school districts. Continued dialogue reflective of translatable science is necessary to support school districts with limited funding in ensuring safe, healthy environments for learning.
美国没有一个综合性的联邦机构或政策负责确保学校的环境健康，这可能导致许多低收入和少数族裔社区的不平等持续存在。本文探讨了新兴的研究、政策和基于实践的努力，这些努力可能用于识别和解决学校的环境公正问题。
进行了简短的文献回顾，以了解（1）与学龄儿童环境风险相关的主要心理、行为和身体结果，以及（2）评估这些关系的当前研究方法。还收集和综合了政府机构、学区和倡导团体编写的文件，以提高对规划和改善学校环境政策的理解。
环境风险可以以多种方式表现出来，例如霉菌、空气质量差、社区设计不佳或操场污染。这些风险深深扎根于国家和州的学校资金和规划结构中，可能导致呼吸道疾病、学业成绩不佳和体力活动水平降低等后果。随着对这些问题的关注日益增加，衡量环境风险和潜在差异的方法在过去几十年中取得了巨大进展，但可能需要开发创新的研究方法来进一步推进和评估适当的干预措施。
在美国的学区，环境不公正问题在决策过程中通常没有得到承认。需要继续进行反映可转化科学的对话，以支持资金有限的学区确保学习的安全、健康环境。
