Recorded presentation

Mansoureh Tajik, UNC School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 319C Rosenau Hall, CB#7440, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440, 919-966-8650, tajik@email.unc.edu

Investigations of disease patterns and their possible link to a particular environmental contamination are rarely resolved to the satisfaction of the affected communities. One key factor contributing to communities' dissatisfaction is their lack of trust in the governmental agencies' investigations and findings vis-a-vis an environmental health concern. This paper presents a qualitative, bounded case study of public and environmental health concerns of a small community in Wyoming and identifies factors that contributed to the community members' discontent with government agencies' response to citizens’ health concerns. Data were systematically collected, reviewed, and analyzed using qualitative methods. The data included community statements, observations, group discussions, interviews, and archived documentations from relevant governmental agencies. Several themes emerged that explain the community's discontent: "delay in response time," "perceived cover up" and "lack of transparency," "perception of pro-industry stance," "vague and fragmented communication," and "perceived unfair treatment." The analysis also revealed that the most pronounced characteristic of the interaction between the community members and the government agencies is lack of trust on the part of the community. Specific cases of irregular implementation of the governmental agencies' stated policies were identified and further analysis revealed that a direct correlation exists between community members increasing level of distrust and particular instances where the stated policies were subverted, neglected, or undermined. The result of this study can inform the implementation of the stated environmental and public health policies when addressing community-level environmental health concerns.

Learning Objectives: "At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• List three factors that contribute to community-level distrust of governmental agencies when dealing with environmental health issues.
• Use existing databases and qualitative research methods to identify key factors contributing to affected communities' dissatisfaction with environmental and health policy implementations.
• Provide "lessons learned" to agencies responsible for mitigating and addressing community-level environmental health concerns.

Keywords: Community Response, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation