Pollution Prevention through Peer Education: A Community Health Worker and Small and Home-Based Business Initiative on the Arizona-Sonora Border

Abstract

Government-led pollution prevention programs tend to focus on large businesses due to their potential to pollute larger quantities, therefore leaving a gap in programs targeting small and home-based businesses. In light of this gap, we set out to determine if a voluntary, peer education approach led by female, Hispanic community health workers (promotoras) can influence small and home-based businesses to implement pollution prevention strategies on-site. This paper describes a partnership between promotoras from a non-profit organization and researchers from a university working together to reach these businesses in a predominately Hispanic area of Tucson, Arizona. From 2008 to 2011, the promotora-led pollution prevention program reached a total of 640 small and home-based businesses. Program activities include technical trainings for promotoras and businesses, generation of culturally and language appropriate educational materials, and face-to-face peer education via multiple on-site visits. To determine the overall effectiveness of the program, surveys were used to measure best practices implemented on-site, perceptions towards pollution prevention, and overall satisfaction with the industry-specific trainings. This paper demonstrates that promotoras can promote the implementation of pollution prevention best practices by Hispanic small and home-based businesses considered “hard-to-reach” by government-led programs.

Engaging Diverse Citizen Scientists for Environmental Health: Recommendations from Participants and <i>Promotoras</i>

“…Applying experience from prior applications of this model in environmental health contexts (May et al 2003;Ramírez et al 2015), Project Harvest employs promotoras as the designated educators and support persons for participants. As SERI staff promotoras have previous in-depth experience with residents in the urban participant communities, four SERI promotoras were designated to support these participants through an inter-organizational agreement.…”

Building bridges between experts and the public: a comparison of two-way communication formats for flooding and air pollution risk

“…a beauty salon or a printers) in becoming green. The aim was set in helping them transition towards less-toxic substances, as well as in encouraging these professionals to reuse and recycle materials (Moreno Ramírez et al, 2015). In the Netherlands, an educational programme had the aim of improving the understanding of hydrological concepts, and enhancing preparedness 30 intentions of 15-year-old students (Bosschaart et al, 2016;Demir, 2014 Educational programmes appear to follow a downstream approach, meaning that although communication flows from expert to public and vice versa, it is the experts who initiate the communication process, that is, the ones to design, organize, and set up the educational programme.…”

“…In the programme implemented in Arizona, female Hispanic community health workers (called "promotoras"), were invited to run the programme. They possess leadership skills that allow them to effectively influence their community (Moreno Ramírez et al, 2015). They are trusted because they have been trainned in public health issues, and because they are "indigenous to the community" (Moreno Ramírez et al, 2015).…”

“…They possess leadership skills that allow them to effectively influence their community (Moreno Ramírez et al, 2015). They are trusted because they have been trainned in public health issues, and because they are "indigenous to the community" (Moreno Ramírez et al, 2015). Sometimes, the figure of the opinion leader is interchanged with that of a mediator.…”

“…It is commonplace that these intermediaries receive specific training on how to run the programme. In the case of the "promotoras", for instance, they received expert training and necessary materials to provide real-world application for specific business needs that can translate into positive change (Moreno Ramírez et al, 2015). 15 Educational programmes are characterized by being highly interactive.…”