Institution for Social and Policy Studies, Yale University, New Haven, USA; Department of Political Science, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA; Global Asia Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.
Sci Total Environ. 2022 Aug 25;836:155432. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155432. Epub 2022 Apr 22.
Amid worsening climate change, the recurrent wildfires have substantially worsened air quality in the Western United States (U.S.). Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, perception, and practices (KAPP) over time in response to natural disasters such as wildfires is crucial for public health interventions and disaster preparedness. This is the first study to investigate the change in air quality KAPP over time in response to natural disasters. Previous studies have only assessed KAPP at a fixed time point. Using a two-wave panel survey (during and post-wildfires), we assessed the association between KAPP and respiratory health indicators as well as the changes over time in 212 participants in the U.S. Between the two waves, we found a significant 8% increase in knowledge, which was mainly driven by participants in areas unaffected by the wildfires. In addition, we found differential associations between KAPP and respiratory health indicators between areas affected and unaffected by the wildfires. These findings suggest that experiencing wildfires may affect KAPP and more longitudinal studies are warranted, particularly during periodic air quality crises.
在气候变化日益恶化的情况下，美国西部频发的野火极大地恶化了空气质量。了解人们对野火等自然灾害的知识、态度、看法和实践（KAPP）随时间的变化，对于公共卫生干预和灾害准备至关重要。这是第一项研究，旨在调查随着时间的推移，人们对空气质量 KAPP 的变化情况，以应对自然灾害。以前的研究仅在固定时间点评估 KAPP。本研究使用两波面板调查（野火期间和之后），在美国的 212 名参与者中评估了 KAPP 与呼吸健康指标之间的关联，以及随时间的变化。在这两波调查之间，我们发现知识水平显著提高了 8%，这主要是由未受野火影响地区的参与者推动的。此外，我们还发现，受野火影响和未受野火影响地区的 KAPP 与呼吸健康指标之间存在差异关联。这些发现表明，经历野火可能会影响 KAPP，需要进行更多的纵向研究，特别是在周期性的空气质量危机期间。
