a Department of Health and Human Development , Montana State University , Bozeman , MT , USA.
b Department of Land Resources and Environmental Science, Montana State University , Bozeman , MT , USA.
J Health Commun. 2019;24(3):236-243. doi: 10.1080/10810730.2019.1597948. Epub 2019 Apr 18.
Environmental health literacy (EHL), an evolving concept, has potential for significant public health impact. However, complex skills are needed to access and use information, to study and document hazards, to link findings to health outcomes, and to understand the complexities of regulations and laws needed to take efficacious action. Because water issues are creating headlines world-wide, we draw from several water-related cases on American Indian tribal lands to examine some of the complexities associated with building needed skills, obtaining accessible information, and navigating the layers of laws and regulations that enable or inhibit efficacious action. Each case highlights the importance of partnerships, skill building, and collaborative action to redress environmental assaults. For our analysis, we draw from and expand upon Nutbeam's typology of health literacy which includes functional, interactive, and critical stages to derive lessons from each of the EHL cases. Community partnerships engaging in EHL efforts still face many challenges, including enhancing skills for community members as well as professionals, clarifying scientific processes and findings, articulating and respecting cultural practices and needs, and translating policies and laws for community accessibility and collaborative action.
环境健康素养（EHL）是一个不断发展的概念，具有重大的公共卫生影响潜力。然而，需要复杂的技能来获取和使用信息，研究和记录危害，将发现与健康结果联系起来，并理解采取有效行动所需的法规和法律的复杂性。由于水问题在全球范围内成为头条新闻，我们从美国印第安部落土地上的几个与水有关的案例中汲取了一些与建立所需技能、获取可访问信息以及驾驭法律和法规的各个层面相关的复杂性，这些层面可以促进或抑制有效行动。每个案例都强调了建立伙伴关系、技能建设和协同行动对于纠正环境侵害的重要性。在我们的分析中，我们借鉴并扩展了 Nutbeam 的健康素养分类法，其中包括功能、互动和关键阶段，从每个 EHL 案例中汲取教训。参与 EHL 工作的社区伙伴关系仍然面临许多挑战，包括增强社区成员和专业人员的技能，澄清科学过程和发现，阐明和尊重文化实践和需求，以及为社区可及性和协同行动翻译政策和法律。
