Sociodemographic predictors of residents worry about contaminated sites

Our plain-English summary of Sociodemographic predictors of residents worry about contaminated sites, by E. McIntyre, J. Prior, I.L.C. Connon, et al (The Science of the Total Environment, 2018).

The study

• Authors: E. McIntyre, J. Prior, I.L.C. Connon, J. Adams, B. Madden
• Journal: The Science of the Total Environment
• Published: 2018;643:1623-1630
• Cited by: 8 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

The management and remediation of contaminated environments increasingly involves engagement with affected local residents. Of late, risk communication tools and guidelines have drawn attention to the stress and concern of residents as a result of heightened awareness of localised contamination and the need to address these less visible impacts of contamination when engaging with affected communities. Despite this emerging focus, there is an absence of research exploring the factors that predict resident worry about neighbourhood contamination. This paper aims to address this shortcoming by drawing on data from a cross-sectional survey of 2009 adult residents in neighbourhoods near 13 contaminated sites across Australia. Analyses used ordered logistic regression to determine the sociodemographic, environmental, and knowledge-based factors that influence residents' degree of worry. The findings suggest age, gender and income significantly affect residents' degree of worry. Being knowledgeable about the contaminant was associated with lower degrees of worry. Conversely, having a stronger sense of place within a neighbourhood predicted higher degrees of worry. Type of contaminant also impacted resident worry, with residents being less likely to worry about hydrocarbon, asbestos and waste than other types of contaminants. Our analyses suggest resident worry can be reduced through improving access to accurate information and the development of specific risk reduction strategies tailored to each neighbourhood and aimed at the heterogeneous distribution of worry amongst residential populations.

Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In plain English

This cross-sectional telephone survey asked 2009 adults living near 13 contaminated sites across Australia how worried they were about one contaminant found near their home. Answers from 2005 people were analysed. The contaminants were heavy metals, hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, waste and asbestos. The study measured worry, not exposure or health. Compared with metals, residents were less likely to worry about asbestos, hydrocarbons and waste. Men worried less than women, and people under 35 or aged 75 and over worried less. All income groups below $120k worried more than the highest income group. Residents who had already heard of the contaminant worried less. A stronger sense of place, speaking a language other than English at home, and having children at home were linked to more worry. Distance from the site was not linked to worry. The authors concluded that worry was unevenly spread and that better access to accurate information could reduce it. They cautioned that home owners were over-represented and that worry was not measured with a validated tool.

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 telephone survey (computer-assisted telephone interviewing), analysed with ordered logistic regression
• Who was studied: 2009 adults (18 and over) living near 13 urban contaminated sites in New South Wales, South Australia, the Australian Capital Territory, Tasmania, Queensland and Victoria. They were randomly selected from a residential telephone database and surveyed between 24 March and 30 September 2014. The response rate was 19%. Four surveys were excluded for data-entry errors, leaving 2005. 58.5% were female and ages ranged from 18 to 89. The article does not say how many respondents were asked about each contaminant type.
• Exposure: No actual exposure was measured. Each respondent was read a brief description of a contaminant found at a nearby site: its type, location, how the contamination occurred and how it behaved. No health risks were mentioned. Contaminant types were heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic), petroleum hydrocarbons, chlorinated solvents, waste, and asbestos (no fiber type specified). Worry was rated from 0 (not at all worried) to 10 (extremely worried).
• Main results:
  • Compared with metals (the reference group), residents told about asbestos were significantly less likely to worry (regression coefficient -0.894, p less than 0.001). The same was true for waste (-0.565, p less than 0.001) and hydrocarbons (-0.424, p less than 0.001). Chlorinated solvents did not differ significantly from metals (0.064).
  • Men were less likely than women to be worried (coefficient -0.726, p less than 0.001).
  • Compared with people aged 35 to 54, those under 35 (-0.476, p less than 0.001) and those 75 and over (-0.328, p less than 0.01) were less likely to worry. People aged 55 to 74 did not differ (0.008).
  • Compared with households earning $120k or more, every lower income group, and those who did not state income, were more likely to worry. Coefficients were 0.894 for zero to 40k, 0.518 for 40k to 80k, 0.529 for 80k to 120k, and 0.633 for unspecified income, all p less than 0.001.
  • Residents who had previously heard of the contaminant in their area were less likely to worry than those who had not (-0.29, p less than 0.001).
  • A stronger sense of place (belonging to the community, ideal place to live) was associated with more worry (0.054, p less than 0.01).
  • Speaking a language other than English at home (0.515, p less than 0.001) and having children under 14 in the household (0.261, p less than 0.01) were associated with more worry.
  • Owning or purchasing one's home was associated with less worry than renting (-0.197, p less than 0.05).
  • Distance from the home to the site boundary was not significantly associated with worry (0.075). University education was also not significant (-0.084).
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that worry about nearby contamination was not evenly distributed among residents, owing to demographic, knowledge and physical-context factors. They said strategies should include improving access to accurate information to reduce uncertainty, and worry-reduction strategies specific to each neighbourhood.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Home ownership in the sample (82.2%) was higher than in the general population (65%), so responses may not represent all residents affected by contamination. Generalising to the broader Australian population needs caution.
  • Regional cultural differences mean the findings should be applied cautiously to other regions or countries.
  • Worry was not measured with a previously validated tool.
  • Other variables that may influence worry, such as social capital, ethnicity and health-related variables, were not included in the model.

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