Abstract
Context: Environmental exposure to groundwater contamination from agricultural runoff, chemical pollution, or geology and indoor air hazards from misuse of consumer products or naturally occurring radon contributes to adverse health outcomes. Individuals can reduce exposure to environmental hazards by practicing risk-reduction behaviors.
Objective: To characterize the demographic and behavioral characteristics of the population practicing environmental risk-reduction behaviors in order to identify gaps in current prevention outreach efforts.
Design: The New Jersey Behavioral Risk Factor Survey captures data on self-reported environmental risk-reduction behaviors and health-promoting behaviors (cancer screenings, vaccinations, smoking). To account for complex survey data, weighted analyses were performed in SAS v9.4.
Setting: New Jersey, 2014-2015.
Participants: The New Jersey Behavioral Risk Factor Survey is an ongoing telephone health survey of NJ residents. About 1000 NJ residents are selected randomly each month to derive statewide representative prevalence estimates.
Main Outcome Measures: Self-reported private well testing, radon screening, and carbon monoxide (CO) detector ownership.
Results: Statewide prevalence of the practice of environmental risk-reduction practices includes 56.6% for private well testing, 44.3% for radon screening, and 86.1% for CO detector ownership. A larger percentage of individuals who are white or Asian, college-educated, earn more than $50 000, and own their homes reported CO detector ownership and radon screening. Age was the only demographic factor associated with private well testing. Screening for radon and CO detector ownership was positively associated with receiving an influenza shot, colonoscopy, aerobic exercise, and positive self-reported health and not smoking.
Conclusions: There is a need to improve rates of environmental risk-reduction behaviors and reduce disparities in the practice of these behaviors through efforts to increase awareness. Public health officials should target outreach to specific populations that do not practice risk-reduction behaviors.