Perceptions Of Environmental Health Risks Research Articles

Predicting Environmental Behaviors: The Influence of Self‐Determined Motivation and Information About Perceived Environmental Health Risks1

The purpose of the present study is to examine the combined contribution of 2 predictors of environmental behaviors, self‐determined motivation and information about a particular environmental issue (viz., perceived environmental health risks). The hypothesized model was tested with 761 participants from the general population using structural equation modeling. Self‐determined motivation was found to predict both environmental behaviors and the tendency to seek information on health risks coming from 2 main sources (federal government agencies and public groups), which led to more confidence in those sources of information. In turn, confidence in the different sources of information was found to be significantly associated with perceptions of environmental health risks. Finally these perceptions were also found to be predictors of environmental behaviors. Results are discussed in terms of 2 possible processes that could facilitate environmental behaviors.

Symptom Prevalence and Worry about High Voltage Transmission Lines

Few studies have documented public perceptions of environmental health risks from exposure to overhead transmission lines. In particular, little information has been provided on the impact of worry on symptom prevalence in residents living adjacent to high voltage transmission lines. The current study assessed symptom prevalence and worry in 152 Orange County female residents living either adjacent to overhead transmission lines or one block away. Forty-five percent of the respondents were either very worried or somewhat worried about the transmission lines and 55% were slightly worried or not worried at all. Results indicated that for those who did not live on the easement level of worry did not affect the prevalence of health problems, For those who lived on the easement, the most worried respondents were more likely to report health problems. Disclosure of health problems may depend more on individuals′ level of worry about rather than proximity to overhead transmission lines. Possible limitations of this study include personality variables such as hypochondriasis which were not assessed, recall bias, and social desirability, The homogeneity of subjects may also limit the generalizability of findings.

Gender, Race, and Perception of Environmental Health Risks

This paper reports the results of a national survey in which perceptions of environmental health risks were measured for 1275 white and 214 nonwhite persons. The results showed that white women perceived risks to be much higher than did white men, a result that is consistent with previous studies. However, this gender difference was not true of nonwhite women and men, whose perceptions of risk were quite similar. Most striking was the finding that white males tended to differ from everyone else in their attitudes and perceptions--on average, they perceived risks as much smaller and much more acceptable than did other people. These results suggest that socio-political factors such as power, status, alienation, and trust are strong determiners of people's perception and acceptance of risks.