(Taken from Applicant s Abstract) The purpose of this study is to test whether adding an inter-generational component to an existing social network-based lay health advisor intervention increases its effectiveness in mobilizing a Native American community to respond to heavy metal contamination from lead and zinc mining. Ottawa County Oklahoma, the site of the proposed research, was heavily mined for zinc and lead in the first half of this century. Mine tailings containing heavy metals are stored in piles up to 200 feet in height and cover 800 acres. Ottawa County is home to 8 Indian tribes and much of the mine waste is on tribal land. The proposed research builds on previous work with these tribes, by expanding to address cadmium in addition to lead, and by adding a youth component. Specifically, the study proposes to: a) integrate Native American youth groups with an existing lay health advisor program to form an inter- generational intervention; b) expand the existing lay health advisor intervention to address cadmium in addition to lead; c) use participatory research methods to involve tribal youth and adults in a residential particulate matter exposure study; d) assess the extent to which the intervention contributes to belief, attitude and behavior changes that will reduce heavy metal exposure and absorption in Native American children; e) assess whether the intervention contributes to changes in mean blood lead level of Native American children relative to white children; and f) assess the contribution of the intervention to creating changes in organizational, community, tribal and government (city, county, state, federal) capacity to address heavy metal contamination in Ottawa County, Oklahoma. The research design is a quasi-experimental pretest-post test design with a comparison group. Data collection methods for the outcome evaluation include a population-based blood lead screening of 400 Native American and white children (ages 1-6) and accompanying care giver interviews, organizational network interviews, and community leader surveys. In addition to assessing change at multiple levels, all instruments will assess key dimensions of community capacity (social capital, sense of community, community participation and civic, involvement) with an emphasis on capacity to respond to environmental health problems. Process evaluation methods include documentation of lay health advisory contacts and interviews with youth and adult volunteers.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01ES008755-06
Application #
6382214
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZES1-DPB-A (R3))
Program Officer
Tyson, Frederick L
Project Start
1996-09-30
Project End
2005-08-31
Budget Start
2001-09-01
Budget End
2002-08-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
2001
Total Cost
$368,674
Indirect Cost
Name
Emory University
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Public Health
DUNS #
042250712
City
Atlanta
State
GA
Country
United States
Zip Code
30322
Kegler, Michelle C; Rigler, Jessica; Ravani, Maya K (2010) Using network analysis to assess the evolution of organizational collaboration in response to a major environmental health threat. Health Educ Res 25:413-24
Kegler, Michelle C; Malcoe, Lorraine Halinka; Fedirko, Veronika (2010) Primary prevention of lead poisoning in rural Native American children: behavioral outcomes from a community-based intervention in a former mining region. Fam Community Health 33:32-43
Stroehla, Berrit C; Malcoe, Lorraine Halinka; Velie, Ellen M (2005) Dietary sources of nutrients among rural Native American and white children. J Am Diet Assoc 105:1908-16
Kegler, Michelle C; Malcoe, Lorraine Halinka (2005) Anti-smoking socialization beliefs among rural Native American and White parents of young children. Health Educ Res 20:175-84
Bland, Angela D; Kegler, Michelle C; Escoffery, Cam et al. (2005) Understanding childhood lead poisoning preventive behaviors: the roles of self-efficacy, subjective norms, and perceived benefits. Prev Med 41:70-8
Singer, Helen Harber; Kegler, Michelle Crozier (2004) Assessing interorganizational networks as a dimension of community capacity: illustrations from a community intervention to prevent lead poisoning. Health Educ Behav 31:808-21
Kegler, Michelle Crozier; Malcoe, Lorraine Halinka (2004) Results from a lay health advisor intervention to prevent lead poisoning among rural Native American children. Am J Public Health 94:1730-5
Bannon, Desmond I; Abounader, Roger; Lees, Peter S J et al. (2003) Effect of DMT1 knockdown on iron, cadmium, and lead uptake in Caco-2 cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 284:C44-50
Kegler, Michelle C; Malcoe, Lorraine Halinka (2002) Smoking restrictions in the home and car among rural Native American and white families with young children. Prev Med 35:334-42