Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (한국산업보건학회지)

Korean Industrial Hygiene Association (한국산업보건학회)
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Public Cognition and Information Acquisition Route for Heavy Metals and Organic Solvents in General Population of Korea

한국인의 중금속과 유기용제에 대한 인식도와 정보취득 경로

  • Lee, Chae Kwan (Institute of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Busan Paik Hospital, Inje University)
  • 이채관 (인제대학교 의과대학 환경.산업의학연구소, 부산백병원 직업환경의학과)
  • Received : 2021.02.02
  • Accepted : 2021.03.13
  • Published : 2021.03.31
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Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the public cognition and information acquisition route for heavy metals and organic solvents in the general population in order to provide information for the development of public relations materials. Methods: The study was carried out by questionnaire from January to March 2011 by an interview with trained surveyors. There were 700 participants, divided by gender and age. A questionnaire was issued consisting of subjective and objective cognition evaluation items and questions about information acquisition route and preferred information acquisition route for six heavy metals and five organic solvents. Data were expressed as a percentage using the SPSS 23.0 software package. Result: For heavy metals, subjective and objective cognition degrees were higher in the order of lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic. They were higher among males than females, and in adults compared to school-age subjects. For organic solvents, both cognition degrees were high in the order of acetone, benzene, and formaldehyde. However, cognition degree by gender and age showed a complex pattern. As a response to information acquisition route, broadcast media had the highest in all ages and genders, followed by word of mouth from neighbors in elementary school children, school education or expert lectures in middle and high school students up to people in their 30s, and print media among those in their 40s to over 60s. There was no difference in the order by gender. As a response to preference for information acquisition route, broadcast media also proved the highest in all ages and genders, followed by school education or professional lectures among those in elementary school and over their 60s, and the internet in other age groups. Females preferred school education or expert lectures and word of mouth from neighbors, while males preferred the internet. In the case of the internet, the ranking was higher for preferred information acquisition route compared with the ranking for information acquisition route. Conclusions: This data on cognition degree, information acquisition route, and preferred information acquisition route according to gender and age can provide basic data for the development of educational and promotional materials for heavy metals and organic solvents exposure management.

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