The goal of this research project, Environmental Health Literacy for Low Literate Groups, is to explore and determine concepts that characterize health literacy related to environmental risk and to identify appropriate environmental health risk visual and written concepts for individuals with low literacy skills. An innovative method to investigate emerging concepts will be employed using an adapted Mental Models approach. Using open-ended interviews of 20 environmental experts and 20 risk communication experts, the project team will create a model of concepts that constitute environmental health literacy. Using these frameworks as a basis, six focus groups with low literate members will be conducted in three communities, in partnership with local community organizations. Focus group recruitment will include an assessment of literacy level. The purpose of the focus groups is to explore perceptions and definitions of identified environmental literacy concepts and assess comprehension of currently used messages and images in environmental risk communiques. Pro-type messages and images will be developed and pretested with three additional focus groups with low literacy members. Results will provide understanding of essential concepts for environmental risk literacy, and provide useful methods and messages for conveying messages to low literacy groups. These groups often are more at risk for environmental exposure than groups with higher literacy levels. The testing of an innovative approach to developing risk messages and methods is an additional benefit of this study. The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey- School of Public Health (UMDNJ-SPH), including the Resource Center of the Public Education and Risk Communication (PERC) Division, Environmental and Occupational Health Science Institute (EOHSI) will direct this two year research project.
