Using the health beliefs model to explore children's attitudes and beliefs on air pollution. (July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Le, H.T.C.H.; Dang, T.N.; Ware, R.; Phung, D.; Thai, P.K.; Sly, P.D.; Le An, P.
• Is Part Of: Public health. Volume 196(2021)
• Page Start: 4
• Page End: 9
• Publication Date: 2021-07
• Subjects: Traffic-related air pollution -- Health belief model -- Children -- Instrument development; Public health -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 362.1
• DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2021.04.026
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0033-3506

Abstract

Abstract: Objectives: Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) negatively impacts children's health. Self-protective measures are available, but population uptake is variable. It is essential to understand human beliefs and behaviours related to air pollution in order to understand the lack of self-protection in communities. As a prelude to undertaking a comprehensive assessment of children's attitudes and beliefs on the health effects of TRAP exposure, we sought to develop and validate an appropriate instrument. Study design: This study used exploratory sequential mixed methods. Methods: This instrument, based on the constructs of the health belief model (HBM), aimed to determine factors predicting wearing a mask to protect against TRAP exposure. An initial literature-based questionnaire was modified using in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and a quantitative survey pilot. This study included 121 school students and nine professional experts in Vietnam. The questionnaire was tested for content validity, agreement, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency. Results: The concordance of questionnaire items between two repeated assessments ranged from 47.2% to 78.3%, intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 0.16 to 0.87 and Cronbach's internal reliability coefficient for the instrument was 0.60. Conclusion: The self-administered instrument, based on the HBM, is suitable to understand health attitudes and beliefs related to self-protective behaviours to reduce TRAP exposure.