Environmental Justice

Environment, Health, & Nursing Practice

“…In addition, only EH coverage in nursing curriculum significantly predicted "Preparation" subscale scores. However, no significant differences were found in the "Beliefs" subscale scores, indicating that RNs felt that EH awareness among nurses was imperative, regardless of their level of formal EH instruction (Postma, 2006;Salazar, 2000). This finding highlights the need for nursing curricula to better prepare nurses to discuss EH issues.…”

Nursing strategies for environmental justice: A scoping review

“…For nurses to effectively address EJ through education strategies, authors note that nurses need to educate themselves about environmental pollutants, their health impacts, and how to assess and communicate environmental burdens with marginalized populations and the general public (Amiri & Zhao, 2019b;Downs et al, 2006;Valentine-Maher et al, 2018). Recommendations for nursing education were identified that included: incorporate conceptual frameworks in support of the development of an EJ practice that reflects the increased globalization of communities (Postma, 2006), climate justice (Lilienfeld et al, 2018), and expose students to climate stewardship and injustices through local, national, and international service opportunities (Nicholas & Breakey, 2017). As a climate justice and planetary health recommendation, Rosa and Upvall (2019) stated that "knowledge regarding the planet's systems, species, ecosystems, and environmental dimensions must be integrated throughout nursing education to be translated to practice, research, and social justice initiatives" (p. 168).…”

“…Although critical theories were often used in the sample articles, another finding of this scoping review was related to the importance of developing theoretical frameworks that describe how nurses implement EJ strategies. While some articles in the sample utilized the EPA's EJ definition to introduce the concept, most articles did not discuss the theoretical underpinnings of EJ, and this was suggested as a future direction for nursing knowledge development (Amiri & Zhao, 2019;Postma, 2006). For example, some nurse researchers discovered that communities viewed EJ more broadly than the standard EPA definition, including factors such as oppressive sociopolitical systems (Evans-Agnew, 2016;Postma et al, 2014).…”

Perceptions of Environmental and Occupational Health Hazards among Agricultural Workers in Washington State

“…Occupational health nurses also serve as liaisons between agricultural, health, and farm worker communities (Lundvall & Olson, 2001). Because historically, vulnerable populations have not been influential in the research process, it is especially important to include worker representatives in efforts to promote their health and safety (Postma, 2006). To appropriately address the needs of specific worker subgroups, occupational health professionals must grapple with the complexity that exists within the workforce.…”