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Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study
With air quality issues in urban areas garnering increasing media attention, concerned citizens are beginning to engage with air monitoring technology as a means of identifying and responding to the environmental risks posed. However, while much has been written about the accuracy of this sensing eq...
Autores principales: | , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Springer International Publishing
2020
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7035214/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32086616 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8153-1 |
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author | Heydon, James Chakraborty, Rohit |
author_facet | Heydon, James Chakraborty, Rohit |
author_sort | Heydon, James |
collection | PubMed |
description | With air quality issues in urban areas garnering increasing media attention, concerned citizens are beginning to engage with air monitoring technology as a means of identifying and responding to the environmental risks posed. However, while much has been written about the accuracy of this sensing equipment, little research has been conducted into the effect it has on users. As such, this research deploys coping theory to explore the specific ways in which portable air quality sensors influence user behaviour. This is done using a qualitative exploratory design, targeting parents and carers of children on the school run. Drawing from survey and interview responses, the article illustrates the decision-making pathways underpinning engagement with monitors and the ways in which they influence beliefs and behaviours around air pollution. The study demonstrates that personal environmental monitors can play a role in protecting children from air pollution on the school run. They can raise awareness about air pollution and disrupt misconceptions about where it does and does not occur. They can also encourage the public to change their behaviour in an attempt to mitigate and manage risks. However, the findings additionally reveal that sensor technology does not generate a simple binary response among users, of behavioural change or not. When attempts at behavioural change fail to reduce risk, resulting negative feelings can lead to inaction. Hence, the relationship between the technology and the individual is entwined with various social circumstances often beyond a parent or carer’s control. Thus, top-down support aimed at tackling air pollution at source is essential if this bottom-up technology is to fulfil its full potential. |
format | Online Article Text |
id | pubmed-7035214 |
institution | National Center for Biotechnology Information |
language | English |
publishDate | 2020 |
publisher | Springer International Publishing |
record_format | MEDLINE/PubMed |
spelling | pubmed-70352142020-03-06 Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study Heydon, James Chakraborty, Rohit Environ Monit Assess Article With air quality issues in urban areas garnering increasing media attention, concerned citizens are beginning to engage with air monitoring technology as a means of identifying and responding to the environmental risks posed. However, while much has been written about the accuracy of this sensing equipment, little research has been conducted into the effect it has on users. As such, this research deploys coping theory to explore the specific ways in which portable air quality sensors influence user behaviour. This is done using a qualitative exploratory design, targeting parents and carers of children on the school run. Drawing from survey and interview responses, the article illustrates the decision-making pathways underpinning engagement with monitors and the ways in which they influence beliefs and behaviours around air pollution. The study demonstrates that personal environmental monitors can play a role in protecting children from air pollution on the school run. They can raise awareness about air pollution and disrupt misconceptions about where it does and does not occur. They can also encourage the public to change their behaviour in an attempt to mitigate and manage risks. However, the findings additionally reveal that sensor technology does not generate a simple binary response among users, of behavioural change or not. When attempts at behavioural change fail to reduce risk, resulting negative feelings can lead to inaction. Hence, the relationship between the technology and the individual is entwined with various social circumstances often beyond a parent or carer’s control. Thus, top-down support aimed at tackling air pollution at source is essential if this bottom-up technology is to fulfil its full potential. Springer International Publishing 2020-02-21 2020 /pmc/articles/PMC7035214/ /pubmed/32086616 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8153-1 Text en © The Author(s) 2020 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
spellingShingle | Article Heydon, James Chakraborty, Rohit Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study |
title | Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study |
title_full | Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study |
title_fullStr | Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study |
title_full_unstemmed | Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study |
title_short | Can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? An exploratory study |
title_sort | can portable air quality monitors protect children from air pollution on the school run? an exploratory study |
topic | Article |
url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7035214/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32086616 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-8153-1 |
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