Radon, an invisible killer in Canadian homes: perceptions of Ottawa-Gatineau residents

Abstract

Objectives Canadians have reason to care about indoor air quality as they spend over 90% of the time indoors. Although indoor radon causes more deaths than any other environmental hazard, only 55% of Canadians have heard of it, and of these, 6% have taken action. The gap between residents' risk awareness and adoption of actual protective behaviour presents a challenge to public health practitioners. Residents' perception of the risk should inform health communication that targets motivation for action. In Canada, research about the public perception of radon health risk is lacking. The aim of this study was to describe residents' perceptions of radon health risks and, applying a theoretical lens, evaluate how perceptions correlate with protection behaviours. Methods We conducted a mixed online and face-to-face survey (N = 557) with both homeowners and tenants in Ottawa-Gatineau census metropolitan area. Descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses addressed the research questions. Results Compared to the gravity of the risk, public perception remained low. While 32% of residents expressed some concern about radon health risk, 12% of them tested and only 3% mitigated their homes for radon. Residents' perceptions of the probability and severity of the risk, social influence, care for children, and smoking in home correlated significantly with their intention to test; these factors also predicted their behaviours for testing and mitigation. Conclusion Health risk communication programs need to consider the affective aspects of risk perception in addition to rational cognition to improve protection behaviours. A qualitative study can explore the reasons behind the gap between testing and mitigation. Résumé Objectifs Les Canadiens ont de bonnes raisons de se préoccuper de la qualité de l'air intérieur, car ils passent plus de 90 % de leur temps à l'intérieur. Bien que le radon domiciliaire (RD) cause plus de décès que tout autre risques environnementaux, seulement 55 % des Canadiens en ont déjà entendu parler, et d'entre eux seulement 6 % ont pris des mesures concrètes pour l'éradiquer. L'écart entre la sensibilisation aux risques et la prise de mesures de protection réelles par les résidents constitue un défi pour les professionnels de la santé publique. La perception des résidents face aux risques associés au RD devrait guider la communication en matière de santé pour cibler la motivation. Au Canada, très peu d'études portant sur les perceptions de la population face aux risques associés au RD ont été réalisées. Le but de cette étude est de décrire les perceptions qu'entretiennent

Residents’ perceptions of radon health risks: a qualitative study

“…Most surprising was the fact that several residents came to know about radon for the first time from the current study. This supports the findings of our preceding study [10] and the conclusions of previous studies that the Canadian National Radon Program has not been highly effective in informing residents and in prompting action to reduce radon exposure [11].…”

“…Given the limited information that some participants had - and the fact that some of the knowledge they retained was not scientifically-based and could potentially be harmful - we sought to understand participants’ views of what should be done to raise residents’ awareness of the health risks and encourage them to take action. We believed it was particularly important to obtain residents’ views, given that there are national guidelines in place, yet these do not appear to be highly effective in educating the public or incentivizing it to take action [2, 10]. This indicates that the program is poorly matched with most residents’ needs for information and incentive.…”

“…This qualitative study follows a quantitative study we previously conducted with residents of the Ottawa-Gatineau area [10]. In that study, we asked respondents to provide their email if they were willing to receive future correspondence; 286 individuals provided their email.…”

“…According to the latest national survey, 55% of Canadian households heard about radon, but only 6% of them tested for it [2]. Similarly, a recent survey conducted in the national capital region in Canada, which is known for relatively elevated levels of radon, revealed that while 32% of those surveyed expressed some concern about radon health risks, only 12% tested for radon, and 3% took action to reduce radon health risks [10]. The gap between risk awareness and actual testing rates presents a challenge for public health professionals [11, 12].…”

Communicating radon risk via a smartphone app: a pilot intervention study

“…Perceived severity is the extent to which an individual perceives that a threat has negative consequences, whereas perceived susceptibility is the extent to which an individual believes that he/she personally is vulnerable to that threat. Perceptions of severity and susceptibility are expected to lead to adaptive responses such as ordering a radon test kit and testing the home [19,20]. Second, coping appraisal includes response efficacy, which refers to an individual's evaluation of the effectiveness of recommended behavior in terms of preventing a threat (e.g., ordering and testing behaviors).…”