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CleanAirSIG: Education
[top] [end]IntroductionHousehold environmental problems typically are crowding, lack of sanitation, garbage disposal, indoor air pollution, and vector breeding grounds. The domestic environment accounts for almost 30% of the global burden of disease.The good news is that modest interventions can help reduce this burden by at least 20%. Such interventions include improving access to clean water, the efficient disposal of arbage,promoting the use of clean cooking fuels, controlling insect and animal vectors, and last but not the least, effective education and awareness programmes. Growing scientific evidence has shown that because people generally spend the majority of their time indoors, indoor pollution plays a significant role in affecting health and is thus an important health issue. Indoor environments include dwellings, workplaces,schools and day care centers and also vehicles. Common indoor pollutants are environmental tobacco smoke, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and biological allergens. In developing countries, relevant sources of indoor pollution include biomass and coal burning for cooking and heating. Concentrations of these pollutants can be many times higher indoors than outdoors. There is now reasonable amount of data on the ill effects of poor indoor air quality on the health of children and adults. Quite a few solutions are now available to remedy the same. But there is a now a huge gap between knowledge and application of these remedies due to lack of awareness among the common people both adults and children. Many programs to improve indoor air quality in poor households have failed because of the lack of awareness about the harmful effects of air pollutants. There are many examples:
Thus effective educational programs are needed to make an impact on the children and adults for reducing Indoor Air Pollution in homes and thus providing a healthy environment. [top] [end]Recent Research FindingsRecently ESMAP conducted a study "Household Energy, Indoor Air Pollution and Health: A Multisectoral Intervention Program in Rural China" which has just been published includes an analysis of education impacts in Rural China.(http://www.hedon.info/goto.php/978/news.htm.)”"Findings of the study, Household Energy, Indoor Air Pollution and Health: A Multisectoral Intervention Program in Rural China confirm that improved heating stoves were effective in reducing IAP from the burning of coal and biomass fuels regardless of user behaviors. Surprising to researchers was that no IAP reduction benefits resulted from health education and behavioral interventions alone, despite the relative extensiveness of the program. Introducing alternative stove handling behaviors (as part of the health education program) led to changes in specific behavioral indicators (for example, covering stove door after fuel is added), based on self-reported data; but these changes had no measurable benefits for indoor air quality. Three reasons account for this finding.
A recent study in Bangladesh, “Indoor air pollution and its impact on children under five years old in Bangladesh.” ( http://www.hedon.info/goto.php/982/news.htm) have the follwing practical Implications: “The health of children under five years old in Bangladesh, especially those living in poor socioeconomic conditions, is considered to be worsening because of indoor air pollution. It is commonly suggested that biomass fuel should be replaced by fossil fuel, as pollution levels are believed to be higher with biomass fuel. Our findings, however, suggest that pollution can be higher with fossil fuels, and indicate that a switch in fuel from biomass to fossil does not necessarily improve the children's health. Awareness programs should therefore be undertaken to avoid the unnecessary use of gas. Clean fuels and clean stoves should also be ensured to reduce emissions of indoor air pollutants.” [top] [end]Awareness and Education ProgramsSome organizations in India are involved in educating the adults and children through awareness programs.Gujarat Energy Development Agency, India, http://www.geda.org.in/ or GEDA organized some innovative approaches to spread awareness. These approaches are innovative and can be easily adapted by any organization in any country as a tool for awareness generation. They planned to celebrate the Planet earth year. A Campaign -"Hari Urja, Hariyali Dharti"( Green Energy, Greener Earth) was organized specially designed for the event.The campaign draws on the positive power of festival rituals of our country to engage children in small acts that can save energy and resources and safeguard our earth. For example the Raksha Bandhan - Rakhi Tying Day a symbolic festival celebrted by all communities. On this day brothers tie 'Rakhi' ( a decorated string) to their sisters - in a ceremony where the brother vows to protect the honour of the sisters and protect them from all evils and sisters pray for the well being of the brothers. Students across state who are our members of the Bal Urja RakshakDal (BURD) which in English may be translated as Children’s squads of energy guards will be tying Rakhi to trees and as mark to protect trees.All festivals will be celebrated in this vein during this year by GEDA. The Bal Urja Rakshak Dal Programme, was initiated by GEDA in 2005. The program endeavours to mobilize school children as Energy Guards. It is designed to help students and teachers acquire energy skills as life skills and build their capacities to play a leadership role as the energy conscience of society. Urja Rakshak Dals , squads of energy guards, undertake various awareness drives and action programs to motivate responsible, rational and restrained use of energy in their homes, schools and immediate community. Children are being groomed as 'energy consultants', who will conduct energy audits and provide voluntary energy services that result in energy savings and promotion of green practices. They participate in district and state level urja utsavs or energy celebrations, to learn about energy through games and hands-on activities. Today the programme has a squad 50, 000 children and 7200 teachers in the State drawn from 3600 schools (1800 secondary 1800 primary) across all 25 districts of the state. SKG Sangha in India is another organization engaged in spreading awareness about harmful effects of indoor air pollutants. They are setting up a training centre exclusively for training women to adapt the methods for eliminating IAP. They have so far constructed about 45,000biogas plants and more than 100,000 of improved wood fuel stoves. CEE, India(http://www.ceeindia.org/) an organization in India conducted a workshop on "Education" for achieving the health for all and sustainable development. How it was made integral to the activities/projects/programmes? EPA (http://www.epa.gov)has some good educational programs which can be adapted by organizations in other countries.EPA partners with national organizations, Federal agencies and health care plans and providers to implement community-based outreach and education initiatives. We work with our partners to educate a variety of groups, such as parents and caregivers, health professionals, teachers and school nurses and many others about environmental triggers and asthma.
Members are requested to share their tools and programs that they have used or are using to generate awareness on Indoor air pollution, health as well and share their experiences here. [top] [end]External links and references
[top] [end]ContributorsUser:Dr Karabi Dutta 16 November 2007 Categories: CleanAirSIG| Education | |||||||
Page created:
16 November 2007; Last edited:
19 September 2008; Version: 4 | |||||||
Pagename: CleanAirSIG:Education @HEDON: JPHA | |||||||
