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Kahn CB, John B, Shin SS, Whitman R, Yazzie AS, Goldtooth-Halwood R, Hecht K, Hecht C, Vollmer L, Egge M, Nelson N, Bitah K, George C. Teacher and Caregiver Perspectives on Water Is K'é: An Early Child Education Program to Promote Healthy Beverages among Navajo Children. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6696. [PMID: 37681836 PMCID: PMC10487536 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20176696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/20/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
The Water is K'é program was developed to increase water consumption and decrease consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages for young children and caregivers. The pilot program was successfully delivered by three Family and Child Education (FACE) programs on the Navajo Nation using a culturally centered curriculum between 2020 to 2022. The purpose of this research was to understand teacher and caregiver perspectives of program feasibility, acceptability, impact, and other factors influencing beverage behaviors due to the pilot program. Nine caregivers and teachers were interviewed between June 2022 and December 2022, and a study team of four, including three who self-identified as Navajo, analyzed the data using inductive thematic analysis and consensus building to agree on codes. Five themes emerged, including feasibility, acceptability, impact, suggestions for future use of the program, and external factors that influenced water consumption. The analysis showed stakeholders' strong approval for continuing the program based on impact and acceptability, and identified factors that promote the program and barriers that can be addressed to make the program sustainable. Overall, the Water is K'é program and staff overcame many challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic to support healthy behavior change that had a rippled influence among children, caregivers, teachers, and many others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmella B. Kahn
- College of Population Health, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Brianna John
- Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment Program, Gallup, NM 87301, USA
| | - Sonya S. Shin
- Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment Program, Gallup, NM 87301, USA
| | - Rachel Whitman
- Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment Program, Gallup, NM 87301, USA
| | - Asia Soleil Yazzie
- Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment Program, Gallup, NM 87301, USA
| | | | - Ken Hecht
- Nutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Oakland, CA 94607, USA
| | - Christina Hecht
- Nutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Oakland, CA 94607, USA
| | - Laura Vollmer
- Nutrition Policy Institute, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Oakland, CA 94607, USA
- Cooperative Extension, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA
| | | | | | - Kerlissa Bitah
- T’iis Nazbas Community School, Teec Nos Pos, AZ 86514, USA
| | - Carmen George
- Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
- Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment Program, Gallup, NM 87301, USA
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Van Horne YO, Carroll SR, Chief K, Lothrop NZ, Richards JR, Begay MG, Charley PH, Ingram JC, Beamer PI. Using environmental health dialogue in a Diné-centered approach for individualized results reporting in an environmental exposure study following the Gold King Mine Spill. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 231:116196. [PMID: 37211184 PMCID: PMC10411314 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND On August 5, 2015, the Gold King Mine Spill (GKMS) resulted in 3 million gallons of acid mine drainage spilling into the San Juan River impacting the Diné Bikeyah (traditional homelands of the Navajo people). The Gold King Mine Spill Diné Exposure Project was formed to understand the impacts of the GKMS on the Diné (Navajo). Reporting individualized household results in an exposure study is becoming more common; however, materials are often developed with limited community input with knowledge flowing in one direction - from researcher to participant. In this study we examined the development, dissemination, and evaluation of individualized results materials. METHODS In August 2016, Navajo Nation Community Health Representatives (Navajo CHRs) sampled household water, dust, and soil, and resident blood and urine for lead and arsenic, respectively. From May-July 2017, iterative dialogue with a wide range of community partners and a community focus groups guided the development of a culturally-based dissemination process. In August 2017, Navajo CHRs reported individualized results and they surveyed the participants on the report-back process at that time. RESULTS All of the 63 Diné adults (100%) who participated in the exposure study received their results by a CHR in person and 42 (67%) completed an evaluation. Most of those participants (83%) were satisfied with the result packets. Respondents ranked the individual and overall household results as the most important information they received (69% and 57%, respectively), while information on metals exposures and their health effects were the least helpful. CONCLUSIONS Our project illustrates how a model of environmental health dialogue, defined by iterative, multidirectional communication among Indigenous community members, trusted Indigenous leaders, Indigenous researchers, non-Indigenous researchers, can improve reporting individualized study results. Findings can inform future research to encourage multi-directional environmental health dialogue to craft more culturally responsive and effective dissemination and communication materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032, USA.
| | - Stephanie Russo Carroll
- Native Nations Institute at the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA; Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Karletta Chief
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA; Indigenous Resilience Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Nathan Z Lothrop
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Jennifer R Richards
- Center for Indigenous Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
| | | | | | - Jani C Ingram
- Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Paloma I Beamer
- Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
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Van Horne YO, Alcala CS, Peltier RE, Quintana PJE, Seto E, Gonzales M, Johnston JE, Montoya LD, Quirós-Alcalá L, Beamer PI. An applied environmental justice framework for exposure science. JOURNAL OF EXPOSURE SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY 2023; 33:1-11. [PMID: 35260805 PMCID: PMC8902490 DOI: 10.1038/s41370-022-00422-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
On the 30th anniversary of the Principles of Environmental Justice established at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991 (Principles of Environmental Justice), we continue to call for these principles to be more widely adopted. We propose an environmental justice framework for exposure science to be implemented by all researchers. This framework should be the standard and not an afterthought or trend dismissed by those who believe that science should not be politicized. Most notably, this framework should be centered on the community it seeks to serve. Researchers should meet with community members and stakeholders to learn more about the community, involve them in the research process, collectively determine the environmental exposure issues of highest concern for the community, and develop sustainable interventions and implementation strategies to address them. Incorporating community "funds of knowledge" will also inform the study design by incorporating the knowledge about the issue that community members have based on their lived experiences. Institutional and funding agency funds should also be directed to supporting community needs both during the "active" research phase and at the conclusion of the research, such as mechanisms for dissemination, capacity building, and engagement with policymakers. This multidirectional framework for exposure science will increase the sustainability of the research and its impact for long-term success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshira Ornelas Van Horne
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA.
| | - Cecilia S Alcala
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 17 East 102 Street, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Richard E Peltier
- School of Public Health & Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 686 North Pleasant Street, Room 175, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | - Penelope J E Quintana
- School of Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Dr., San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Edmund Seto
- Department of Environmental & Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Roosevelt One Building, 4225 Roosevelt Way NE, Suite 100, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Melissa Gonzales
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, MSC10 5550 Epidemiology, Albuquerque, NM, 87111, USA
| | - Jill E Johnston
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, 2001 N. Soto Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90032, USA
| | | | - Lesliam Quirós-Alcalá
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 615N. Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA
| | - Paloma I Beamer
- Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, 1295N. Martin Ave., Tucson, AZ, 85724, USA
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Clausen RJ, Chief C, Teufel-Shone NI, Begay MA, Charley PH, Beamer PI, Anako N, Chief K. Diné-centered Research Reframes the Gold King Mine Spill: Understanding Social and Spiritual Impacts Across Space and Time. JOURNAL OF RURAL STUDIES 2023; 97:449-457. [PMID: 36908972 PMCID: PMC9997850 DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
This paper explores how Indigenous-led research reframes the impacts and response to environmental disasters in the context of acid mine spills in rural communities of the Southwest United States. The collaborative research project addressing the Gold King Mine Spill (GKMS) designed qualitative methodologies that center Indigenous worldviews and contribute to broader understandings of environmental justice. The research team, led by Diné scholars and community leaders, gathered qualitative responses from 123 adult participants in twelve focus groups from three rural communities on the Navajo Nation. The project incorporated fluent Diné speakers and cultural consultants to lead focus groups in a manner consistent with cultural worldviews. The analysis of the focus group data resulted in original findings that reframe previous understandings of environmental harm by broadening the boundaries to include: 1) social relations across time; 2) social relations across space; 3) spiritual relations; and 4) restoring balance. The findings allow for greater insight into the colonial context of disaster on rural and Indigenous lands and confronts colonial-rooted disasters through Indigenous-informed political action.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Nicolette I Teufel-Shone
- Center for Health Equity Research and Department of Health Sciences, Northern Arizona University
| | - Manley A Begay
- Applied Indigenous Studies Department, Northern Arizona University
| | | | - Paloma I Beamer
- Department of Community, Environment and Policy, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona
| | | | - Karletta Chief
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona
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Coombs S, Sleeth DK, Jones RM. Environmental and occupational health on the Navajo Nation: a scoping review. REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 2022; 37:181-187. [PMID: 34968017 PMCID: PMC9150895 DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2021-0118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
A scoping review was performed to answer: what environmental health concerns have been associated with adverse health outcomes in the Navajo Nation? The review focused on occupational and ambient environmental exposures associated with human industrial activities. The search strategy was implemented in PubMed, and two investigators screened the retrieved literature. Thirteen studies were included for review. Data were extracted using the matrix method. Six studies described associations between work in uranium mining and cancer. Six studies focused on environmental exposures to uranium mine waste and other metals, with outcomes that included biological markers, kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension, and adverse birth outcomes. One study explored occupational exposure to Sin Nombre Virus and infection. Most research has focused on the health effects of uranium, where occupational exposures occurred among miners and environmental exposures are a legacy of uranium mining and milling. Gaps exist with respect to health outcomes associated with current occupations and the psychosocial impact of environmental hazards. Other environmental exposures and hazards are known to exist on the Navajo Nation, which may warrant epidemiologic research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharly Coombs
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Darrah K. Sleeth
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Rachael M. Jones
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
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Covitt BA, Anderson CW. Untangling Trustworthiness and Uncertainty in Science: Implications for Science Education. SCIENCE & EDUCATION 2022; 31:1155-1180. [PMID: 35136284 PMCID: PMC8815018 DOI: 10.1007/s11191-022-00322-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
This article focuses on uncertainty-ways in which scientists recognize and analyze limits in their studies and conclusions. We distinguish uncertainty from (un)trustworthiness-ways in which scientific reports can be affected by conscious deception or unconscious bias. Scientific journal articles typically include analyses and quantifications of uncertainty in both quantitative forms (e.g., error bars, ranges of predictions, statistical tests) and qualitative forms (e.g., alternate hypotheses, limitations of studies, questions for future research). These analyses of uncertainty are often incorporated into reports from scientific organizations and responsible scientific journalism. We argue that a critical goal of science education should be to help students understand how science may be employed as an uncertain and limited, yet still useful tool for informing decisions about socioscientific problems. When members of the public are insufficiently prepared to understand analyses and quantifications of uncertainty, the consequences are manifest in public skepticism about science and inadequately informed decision-making about socioscientific issues. We describe current design work in science education that includes a worthwhile emphasis on helping students to recognize and leverage uncertainty in their own data and models. Additional important work can enable students to develop proficiency in seeking out and understanding analyses of continuing uncertainty in media accounts of scientific conclusions and predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beth A. Covitt
- spectrUM Discovery Area, University of Montana, Missoula, MT USA
| | - Charles W. Anderson
- Department of Teacher Education, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI USA
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Teufel-Shone NI, Chief C, Richards JR, Clausen RJ, Yazzie A, Begay MA, Lothrop N, Yazzie J, Begay AB, Beamer PI, Chief K. Development of a Culturally Anchored Qualitative Approach to Conduct and Analyze Focus Group Narratives Collected in Diné (Navajo) Communities to Understand the Impacts of the Gold King Mine Spill of 2015. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:9402. [PMID: 34502003 PMCID: PMC8430777 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18179402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The Gold King Mine Spill (Spill) occurred in August 2015 upstream from Silverton, Colorado and released three million gallons of contaminated water into the Animas River, a tributary to the San Juan River that flows across the Navajo Nation. Using principles of community-engaged research, the Gold King Mine Spill Diné Exposure Project co-developed a culturally anchored approach to conduct focus groups and analyze narratives collected in three Diné (Navajo) communities along the San Juan River within 9 months of the Spill. Focus group questions were designed to document the socio-cultural impacts of the Spill. This paper: (1) outlines the partnerships and approvals; (2) describes focus group design, training, data collection and analysis; and (3) reflects on the use of a culturally anchored approach in Indigenous, specifically Diné-centered research. Diné social and cultural etiquette and concepts of relationality were used to adapt standard (non-Indigenous) qualitative methods. Findings describe community perceptions of short-term impacts of the disaster, as well as past and present injustices, communication related to the Spill, and concerns of persistent threats to Diné lifeways. The culturally anchored approach was critical in fostering trust with Diné participants and aligned with the candor of the discussions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolette I. Teufel-Shone
- Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA; (C.C.); (A.B.B.)
| | - Carmenlita Chief
- Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA; (C.C.); (A.B.B.)
| | - Jennifer R. Richards
- Center for American Indian Health, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA;
| | - Rebecca J. Clausen
- Department of Sociology and Human Services, Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO 81301, USA;
| | | | - Manley A. Begay
- Applied Indigenous Studies Department, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA;
| | - Nathan Lothrop
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; (N.L.); (P.I.B.)
| | - Janene Yazzie
- Tó Bee Nihi Dziil and Sixth World Solutions, Lupton, AZ 86508, USA;
| | - Andria B. Begay
- Center for Health Equity Research, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA; (C.C.); (A.B.B.)
| | - Paloma I. Beamer
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center and Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA; (N.L.); (P.I.B.)
| | - Karletta Chief
- Department of Environmental Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA;
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