Abstract
A safe and healthy natural and built environment is fundamental to children’s health and represents a significant determinant of community well-being. We aimed to identify and prioritize environmental health concerns within resource-poor neighborhoods in the Dominican Republic using free-listing and semi-structured focus groups composed of parents and caregivers in the perirural community of Consuelo, Dominican Republic. Transcripts were coded and relevant themes identified using qualitative content analysis. Demographic data and information regarding trash disposal practices were also collected. Participants described common health concerns, including respiratory infections, asthma, vector-borne illnesses, and diarrheal diseases and linked them to environmental hazards in their communities, such as air quality and sanitation. Interventional priorities that emerged included reduction of trash accumulation and trash burning as well as improvement of sanitation facilities.
Highlights
A safe and healthy environment is necessary to promote and protect children’s health and community well-being [1]
Children are especially vulnerable to environmental exposures due to factors related to their growth, development, and behavior [4,5,6]
Many participants reported that their families use more than one method of trash disposal, depending on type of trash and reliability of the municipal trash collection
Summary
A safe and healthy environment is necessary to promote and protect children’s health and community well-being [1]. Poverty and environmental threats are closely linked, and resource-limited settings bear a disproportionate burden of child morbidity and mortality linked to modifiable environmental health factors [3]. Environmental risks contribute to a large fraction of the global burden of disease. It is estimated that 24% of global deaths and 28% of deaths among children under five are due to preventable environment-related causes, including respiratory infections, diarrheal illnesses, and vector-borne diseases [4]. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental exposures due to factors related to their growth, development, and behavior [4,5,6].
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