Outdoor Air Quality Awareness, Perceptions, and Behaviors among U.S. Adolescents

Abstract

Background/Aim: Ambient air pollution exposure is associated with adverse health effects. Despite the risks to their health, little is known about air pollution-related awareness and behaviors among children and adolescents. We aimed to add to the information on this subject by assessing U.S. adolescents’ perceptions and knowledge about air quality and their behaviors intended to reduce air pollution exposure, and whether they vary by demographic characteristics.Methods: We analyzed data from the Porter Novelli Public Services YouthStyles survey, a nationally representative survey of U.S. adolescents aged 12-17 years. In survey years 2015-2018, a total of 3,547 adolescents self-reported awareness, perceptions, and behaviors related to air pollution. We calculated weighted percentages of respondents reporting each aspect of air quality awareness, perception, and behaviors overall and by categories of age, gender, parental education, geographic location, and survey year.Results: Overall, an estimated 81% of U.S. adolescents thought outdoor air pollution could impact health, 52% thought there were things they could do to limit their or their family’s exposure, 19% were aware of air quality alerts, 46% of those who thought or were informed air quality was bad did something differently, and 19% always or usually avoided busy roads to reduce air pollution exposure; differences were reported across levels of parent’s level of education and by geographic location.Conclusions: Among U.S. adolescents, awareness that air pollution could impact health was relatively high. However, gaps were found in the awareness of the potential impacts and awareness of air quality alerts, the perception that they could limit exposure, and the engagement in behaviors to reduce exposure. Based on the differences found by parental education, disparities may exist by socioeconomic status. These results can be used to inform interventions that increase awareness and behaviors to reduce air pollution exposures among U.S. adolescents.