# Presentation: 822120

## Air Quality Outreach:Where Are We With Health Care Providers?

**Laura Artates**
- Clean Air Partnership of Middle Tennessee
- and
- Vanderbilt Environmental Health Services
- Nashville, Tennessee

## Background

- The Clean Air Partnership of Middle Tennessee was formed primarily to implement the Air Quality Action Day (AQAD) program as committed to in the Ozone Early Action Compact for the region.
- The organization brought together the various organizations with a stake in the regional air quality issues.

## Representation

- The regional air quality picture had many pieces, but still needed someone to put together the puzzle...

- Environment

- Public Health

- Local

- Regional

- Buses

- Carpool

- Commuter Choice

- Trains

- Walk/Bike

- Vanpool

## AQAD Goals

- Comply with Clean Air Act NAAQS
- Keep the transportation funds flowing
- Enable continued development
- _Underlying purpose for the Clean Air Act_?
- Protect Human Health

## AQAD Goals

- Influence the General Public – change behavior to reduce emissions on Air Alert days
- Improve air quality and reduce the number of high ozone or PM fine days experienced
***BUT***
- Messages also include health warnings for “sensitive populations”

## Health Messages

- What the message says:
- Orange Air Quality Alert Tomorrow
- Sensitive Groups: Cut back or reschedule strenuous outside activities
- Particle Pollution: People with Heart or lung disease (including diabetics), older adults, and children
- Ozone:  Active children and adults and people with lung disease

## Health Messages

- What people hear:
- Air Alert:
- STAY INSIDE

## Reducing the Overkill

- Problems:
- Generic messages from public information campaign not tailored to individuals
- Complex issue cannot be explained in a brief statement
- Solutions:
- Medical providers know the individuals and (may) understand complexities of air quality
- Health care providers can talk one-on-one     with concerned individuals

## Reaching Health Care Providers

- Conferences
- Hospital-sponsored “Update” conferences
- Asthma, pediatric, etc.
- Meetings/Trainings (Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits)
- If you have them, will they come?
- One-on-one (Pharmaceutical Rep style)
- Membership organizations
- Others?

## Needs Assessment

- Contacted Hospital CME coordinator regarding getting CME credits for a presentation/dinner for MD’s
- Step one: provide a “needs assessment” to determine the demand for CME’s for your topic
- ???

## Survey Goals

- To determine if the health effects related to outdoor air quality are considered by healthcare providers when educating patients
- To assess the needs of healthcare providers in educating patients regarding air quality as part of the Clean Air Partnership of Middle Tennessee’s (CAP) educational campaign

## Which Means???

- Do providers think about air quality, or even know about the air quality forecasts?
- Do they think it’s important enough to spend time talking to their patients about it?
- Do they have materials to help them inform their patients about ozone and PM fine?

## Do healthcare providers consider health effects related to outdoor air quality in patient education?

- No

- Don't Know

- Only patients
- with respiratory
- disease

- 19%

- 10%

- Yes

- 70%

- 1%

## Educating patients on how outdoor air quality affects health will improve their management of respiratory and cardiovascular disease?

- 44%

- Strongly Agree

- 40%

- Agree

- Disagree

- 1%

- No answer

- 1%

- Neutral

- 13%

- Don't Know

- 1%

## Do you discuss the effects of outdoor air quality on health with your patients? 

## How often do you instruct your patients to observe air quality forecasts as part of respiratory disease or cardiac disease management?

- Don't Know

- Frequently

- 23%

- Occasionally

- 30%

- Seldom

- 25%

- Never

- 18%

- 4%

## Do you have resources available to educate your patients about...?

- Yes

- 10%

- No Answer

- 27%

- No

- 63%

**Particle Pollution**

**Ground Level Ozone**

- No Answer

- 8%

- No

- 63%

- 29%

- Yes

## Are there any barriers that may prevent you from including outdoor air quality information in your practice? 

- Lack of time

- 33%

- Lack of information on
-  outdoor air quality

- 25%

- Lack of educational
-  materials

- 30%

- Not a priority

- 4%

- 2%

- Not enough staff

- 6%

- Other

## What is your preferred method for obtaining additional materials on outdoor air quality? 

- CUE Workshop

- Online training

- I do not desire addition materials/ information

- 26%

- Handouts/Pamphlets

- 49%

- 8%

- Other

- 1%

- 6%

- Videos

- 10%

## Results

- Healthcare providers lack the resources to effectively educate their patients about outdoor air quality.
- CAP is currently working with a marketing company to target healthcare providers and provide appropriate educational materials.

**Results**

## Acknowledgements

**Samille Jackson**, M.S.P.H. conducted the survey as part of her Masters degree requirements at Meharry Medical College
**Susan Miller**, Tennessee Department of Health, CEDS provided data analysis and presentation assistance
**Metro Public Health Department**, Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee provided survey funding and support
**Vanderbilt Environmental Health & Safety Department** provided the opportunity to attend and speak at the conference

## Contact information:	

- Laura Artates, P.E.
- Clean Air Partnership of Middle Tennessee
- _[Laura@CleanAirPartnership.info](mailto:Laura@CleanAirPartnership.info)_
- 615-322-9022
- U-2011 MCN
- 1161 21st Ave. South
- Nashville, TN 37232-2665