A Pilot Study of Changes in Environmental Knowledge and Behaviors among Head Start Employees and Parents Following Environmental Health Training in Webb County, TX.
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Head Start centers in Webb County, Texas primarily serve low-income Hispanic families disproportionately affected by environmental exposures. A total of 560 parents and employees attended environmental trainings. Pre- and post-assessments measured whether the trainings were effective at improving related knowledge and behaviors. A total of 152 parents and 94 employees signed consent forms. Only the 64 parents and 50 employees who completed all questionnaires were included in the data analysis. Paired t tests and McNemar tests found significant improvements in knowledge and behaviors related to multiple environmental topics (p<0.05). Mean scores out of eleven for knowledge before and immediately after were 9.69 (95% CI 9.44, 9.94) and 10.58 (95% CI 10.42, 10.74), respectively. Mean scores out of ten for behavior before and 1month after training were 8.00 (95% CI 7.71, 8.29) and 9.29 (95% CI 9.10, 9.48), respectively. This pilot study found improved knowledge and behaviors following environmental health training.
