Empowering Citizens Through the Development and Deployment of a Community-Based Environmental Health Reporting Tool

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Community-Based Research
• Science Communication

Background:

• Colfax, Louisiana, a rural community, faces environmental health challenges.
• Residents are advocating against open burning and detonation of military and Superfund wastes.
• Limited technological access in the community necessitates tailored communication tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement an environmental health communication tool for Colfax residents.
• To support community-based environmental justice efforts through effective communication.
• To ensure community autonomy in research and its outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Designing a community reporting tool aligned with resident goals and needs.
• Integrating science and health communication principles into the tool.
• Pairing the reporting tool with community outreach activities.
• Evaluating the tool using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) criteria.

Main Results:

• The reporting tool successfully incorporated UDL principles: multiple means of representation, action/expression, and engagement.
• Community members found the provided booklets to be concise and understandable summaries of data.
• The tool facilitated community members' use of data in their advocacy efforts.

Conclusions:

• Community-based participatory research can effectively create tailored environmental health communication tools.
• Accessible tools are crucial for empowering communities in environmental justice advocacy.
• The developed tool demonstrated success in meeting community needs and supporting advocacy goals.