Effectiveness of Home-based Educational Intervention on Community Perception of Indoor Air Pollution

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Lecturer of Community Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University, Egypt

2 Prof. Public Health & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt

Abstract

Background: Indoor air pollution (IAP) takes 8th place in the ranking of main causes of mortality.
Increasing community perception about indoor air pollution effects is one of the most pragmatic
ways that might help in taking effective preventing actions. The present study aims to evaluate the
effect of a home-based education program on community perception of IAP. Subjects & Methods:
A quasi-experimental research design using pre-test and post-test was conducted among 255
household heads in a rural area of Mansoura city, Egypt through a multistage stratified cluster
random sample. Data were collected using a structured interview questionnaire and observational
checklist. The intervention consisted of a structured home-based educational teina neitte retni IAP
based on Healthy Housing Reference Manual published by the centers for disease control and
prevention (CDC). Results: About 99% of the study population was exposed to at least one source
of IAP and complained of at least one symptom that could be related to indoor air pollution. The
pre-intervention mean score of perception of ecological/environmental and health impact of IAP
was 7.2±2.6 compared with post-intervention mean scores of 9.7±0.9 with (p≤0.001). Also, the
average increase in the score of perception of sources of IAP from 3.6±2.4 in the baseline to 7.4±2.8
in three months’ post-intervention (p≤0.001). In addition, the average increase in the score of
perception of IAP-related health problems from 3.2±1.9 in the baseline to 5.7±2.1 in three months’
post-intervention (p≤0.001). furthermore, a statistically significant improvement was found in the
mean score of perception of IAP-related mitigation strategies from 6.9±2.5 to 9.7±0.9 with
(p≤0.001). Conclusion: Home-based IAP educational intervention is effective in significantly
improving perception regarding all aspects of IAP including impact, sources, the intensity of risk,
health problems, and mitigation strategies. Recommendation: Further studies are needed to expand
and refine the home-based IAP education program by offering it to a larger sample in a controlled
trial design with an extended follow-up period.

Keywords

Egyptian Journal of Health Care
Volume 13, Issue 4
December 2022
Pages 1403-1416

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