Children’s Perception to Environmental Risks to Health, Key Element in the Design of Environmental Health Intervention Programs

Abstract

In San Luis Potosí, México, there is environmental contamination in different places, produced as much by human activities, as by natural pollution. The characteristics of susceptibility and vulnerability in children, as well as their importance in Sustainable Development Goals, give them a priority in the considerations for measures to protect the population. An intervention strategy to improve children’s environmental health could be a Risk Communication (RC). In order for RC to be successful, it is essential to know children’s opinions, perceptions and concerns; give them voice to express themselves and be heard by researchers. Based on the above, the objective was to conduct an analysis of perception of exposure to environmental risks to health, in children living in sites with different risk scenarios, as a preliminary step for the design of RC programs according to each site, in order to improve the environmental health of the population. This study analyses risks perceptions using drawings as a data collection tool; research was conducted with 170 children from 4 schools located in the study sites. The activity was carried out during the “II Children’s Congress: Cuidando nuestra gran canica azul”, held in April 2012. Results showed that there is awareness in children about the dangers to which they are exposed in their environment; however, there was a lack of knowledge about some previously identified risks. Children’s risk perception was different according to their place of residence.