Abstract
Exposure to lead has long been a community health concern in St. Louis, Missouri. The objective of this study was to examine public response to reports of elevated lead levels in school drinking water in St. Louis, Missouri via Twitter, a microblogging platform with over 320 million active users. We used a mixed-methods design to examine Twitter user status updates, known as “tweets,” from 18 August to 31 December 2016. The number of tweets each day was recorded, and Twitter users were classified into five user types (General Public, Journalist/News, Health Professional/Academic, Politician/Government Official, and Non-Governmental Organization). A total of 492 tweets were identified during the study period. The majority of discourse on Twitter occurred during the two-week period after initial media reports and was driven by members of the General Public. Thematic analysis of tweets revealed four themes: Information Sharing, Health Concerns, Sociodemographic Disparities, and Outrage. Twitter users characterized lead in school drinking water as an issue of environmental inequity. The findings of this study provide evidence that social media platforms can be utilized as valuable tools for public health researchers and practitioners to gauge public sentiment about environmental health issues, identify emerging community concerns, and inform future communication and research strategies regarding environmental health hazards.
Highlights
Exposure to lead through drinking water is a public health hazard, for children [1,2].Lead is a neurotoxin and elevated blood lead levels in children have been associated with a range of adverse health effects, including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and reduced cognitive function [3,4,5,6,7]
The findings of this study provide evidence that social media platforms can be utilized as valuable tools for public health researchers and practitioners to gauge public sentiment about environmental health issues, identify emerging community concerns, and inform future communication and research strategies regarding environmental health hazards
Sharing (59.6% of all tweets), Health Concerns (8.9%), Sociodemographic Disparities (12.5%), and Thematic analysis resulted in a total of four common thematic categories: Information Sharing
Summary
Exposure to lead through drinking water is a public health hazard, for children [1,2].Lead is a neurotoxin and elevated blood lead levels in children have been associated with a range of adverse health effects, including learning disabilities, behavioral problems, and reduced cognitive function [3,4,5,6,7]. In the United States (US), blood lead levels among children have declined [8,9], since the 1970s, when lead-based paint was banned, leaded gasoline was phased out, and many public health agencies introduced lead prevention initiatives. The failure of public officials to treat water with corrosion inhibitors after a water source change led to the leaching of lead into the city’s water supply, potentially exposing residents to elevated levels of lead in drinking water [11]. After this change in water source, the percentage of Flint
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
