141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

294023
Health research needs identified by communities with shale gas resources

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Kathleen Gray, MSPH , UNC Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility, University of North at Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC
Across the country, communities have expressed concerns about the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing (HF) operations on human and environmental health. Community Outreach and Engagement Cores (COECs) in three Environmental Health Sciences Core Centers in New York, North Carolina, and Ohio are collaborating to better understand these concerns. With support from the National Institute of Environmental health Sciences, the COECs assessed community concerns about potential health impacts, their sources of information and areas where communities perceived additional research needs.

The COECs conducted 43 key informant interviews with health professionals, local government officials, environmental and community groups, landowners and educators to obtain diverse perspectives on health concerns and information needs. The interview process was integrated with the collection of additional data (e.g.,reports, articles, etc.) to provide geographic, political, and economic context.

This presentation will describe the information and research needs outlined by interviewees. It will also identify barriers that communities perceive to environmental health research related to HF operations and community recommendations for framing and conducting such research.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Environmental health sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the community health research needs identified by key informants in communities with shale gas resources in three states (NC, NY and OH)

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am co-PI on an assessment of community information needs related to potential health effects of hydraulic fracturing operations and shale gas exploration in three states. I have led the Community Outreach and Engagement Core of the UNC Center for Environmental Health and Susceptibility for eight years.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.