Asbestos awareness among the residents of St. Kitts and Nevis: a cross-sectional study

Our plain-English summary of Asbestos awareness among the residents of St. Kitts and Nevis: a cross-sectional study, by D. Jeffers, Y.C. Liao, K. Takahashi, et al (Globalization and Health, 2022).

The study

• Authors: D. Jeffers, Y.C. Liao, K. Takahashi, R.T. Lin
• Journal: Globalization and Health
• Published: 2022;18(1):83
• Cited by: 1 article, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: High levels of public awareness regarding the hazards of asbestos, rights to health, and benefits of an asbestos-free country can increase advocacy and political commitment to a total ban on asbestos. We aimed to investigate asbestos awareness and associated sociodemographic characteristics among the adult population of St. Kitts and Nevis.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1009 participants completed an online questionnaire with questions about sociodemographic data and asbestos awareness. We applied multiple regression models to estimate associations between sociodemographic factors, levels of asbestos knowledge, and attitudes toward asbestos management.

Results: We found that 70% of residents of St. Kitts and Nevis considered asbestos exposure to be a general public concern and believed the government should prevent it. Of all participants, 54% were in favor of completely banning the use and importation of all asbestos products and materials; those with higher levels of asbestos knowledge were more likely to favor a total ban. Higher proportions and odds of favoring a total asbestos ban were also observed in participants aged ≥ 30 years, women, those with higher education, and those living in St. Kitts (vs. Nevis).

Conclusions: These findings support implementing policies to regulate and outright ban the use of asbestos products and materials in St. Kitts and Nevis. This data can be used to develop tailored campaigns to improve asbestos knowledge among sociodemographic groups with lower asbestos awareness, such as in the wider Caribbean and other under-resourced countries.

© 2022. The Author(s).

In plain English

This cross-sectional study surveyed adult citizens living in St. Kitts and Nevis with an online questionnaire open from April 26 to July 15, 2021. After duplicates and incomplete answers were removed, 1009 people were included. Seven questions gave a knowledge score from 0 to 7, and three questions asked about attitudes. The average knowledge score was 3.65. Scores were higher in people aged 30 or older than in younger people, rose with education level, and were higher in St. Kitts than Nevis residents and in government than private-sector workers. They did not differ significantly by gender. About 70% agreed the general public should be concerned about asbestos, and 71% agreed that preventing exposure was the government's duty. Asked for the best way to prevent exposure, 54% chose a total ban, 13% protective equipment and 33% "I do not know." Each one-point higher knowledge score was associated with higher odds of choosing a ban (odds ratio 1.58; 95% CI 1.45 to 1.71). The authors concluded the findings support policies to regulate and ban asbestos. They noted the cross-sectional, internet-only design as limitations.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Cross-sectional online questionnaire survey, run from April 26 to July 15, 2021
• Who was studied: 1009 adult (18 or older) citizens currently residing in St. Kitts and Nevis, after duplicates and incomplete responses were excluded from 1089 responses received
• Exposure: Not a study of asbestos exposure. It measured asbestos knowledge (seven questions, scored 0 to 7) and attitudes toward asbestos management (three questions)
• Main results:
  • Mean asbestos knowledge score among all 1009 participants was 3.65 (out of 7)
  • Knowledge was higher in people aged 30 or older than in those under 30 (means 3.92 to 3.96 vs. 2.82; p less than 0.0001)
  • Knowledge was higher in residents of St. Kitts than Nevis (mean 3.76 vs. 3.30) and in government workers than private-sector workers (mean 4.02 vs. 3.40)
  • Knowledge increased with education level, from mean 2.31 (some secondary) to mean 4.37 (university)
  • There was no significant difference in knowledge by gender
  • Over 70% of participants agreed the general public should be concerned about asbestos, and 71% agreed it was the government's duty to prevent exposure
  • 54% of participants chose a total asbestos ban as the best option to prevent exposure
  • Of the other participants, 13% chose wearing personal protective equipment and 33% chose "I do not know"
  • Higher proportions and odds of choosing a total ban were seen among those aged 30 or older, women, those with higher education, and St. Kitts residents
  • Per one-level increase in knowledge score, the odds of choosing a total ban as the best option were higher (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.45 to 1.71)
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the findings support implementing policies to regulate and outright ban asbestos products and materials in St. Kitts and Nevis
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The design was cross-sectional, so causal conclusions should not be drawn
  • The internet-only survey may have caused selection bias toward more health-oriented and conscientious respondents
  • Results may be less generalizable to the general population
  • Participants were not asked to explain why they did not choose a ban

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Asbestos Exposure.

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