Is an Enviormental Health Educational Intervention Sufficient to Change Behavior?: Perceptions from an Indigenous Lake Community in Guatemala
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Pezzia, Carla. Is an environmental health educational intervention sufficient to change behavior?: Perceptions from an indigenous lake community in Guatemala. Master of Public Health (Environmental Health), December 2006, 46 pp., 6 tables, 1 illustration, references, 18 titles. Traditional environmental health practices focus on education and exposure prevention, but the division between the biophysico-chemical and social environment keeps them from always being sufficient; human ecology seeks to bridge this division. The second leading cause of mortality in Guatemala is gastrointestinal infections, and San Pedro, Guatemala, provides an opportunity to study these infections utilizing a human ecological approach. Morbidity data were collected from the local health center, observations noted systematically, and both residents and tourists were interviewed regarding their perceptions of the community’s environmental health. Results found that residents who had no contact with tourists stated that, for gastrointestinal infections due to refuse in the streets, education alone would not be sufficient to reduce this problem; most felt some type of government intervention would be necessary. It is recommended that public health specialists enjoy a human ecological approach and refer to the community when designing an appropriate intervention.
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Community-Based Learning
Community Health and Preventive Medicine
Digestive System
Digestive System Diseases
Disorders of Environmental Origin
Educational Sociology
Environmental Health and Protection
Environmental Policy
Environmental Public Health
Epidemiology
Gastroenterology
Health Communication
Health Policy
Health Psychology
International Public Health
Latin American Languages and Societies
Medicine and Health
Medicine and Health Sciences
Politics and Social Change
Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration
Public Health
Public Health Education and Promotion
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tourism and Travel
Translational Medical Research
Environmental health practices
human ecology
Guatemala
gastrointestinal infections
morbidity
government intervention
refuse in the streets