Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110303

Sharron E. LaFollette, PhD, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Illinois at Springfield, One University Plaza, PAC 322, Springfield, IL 62703-5407, 217-206-7894, lafollette.sharron@uis.edu and Dagmar Budikova, PhD, Geography, Illinois State University, 206 Felmley, Campus Box 4400, Normal, IL 61794-4400.

Health educators have used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to identify populations that could be benefited by health education programs. However, GIS can also be used to evaluate the success of health education programs in communities. In this study, GIS was used to determine how successful radon education has been in McLean County. It also looked at the correlations between people who purchased radon kits and their economic condition, race, age, education, property characteristics and other information as reported by the 2000 US census. GIS was used to identify areas in McLean County where homes have been tested for radon, particularly the city areas of Bloomington/Normal, Illinois. The data used in this study were collected through the sale of radon test kits, by the Town of Normal. The addresses were then cross referenced with the radon test kit number, and georeferenced to a map of McLean County. The sample size of the study was n=1,429 individual home test sites, with 56,792 households throughout the McLean County area. Results of the study and its impact on local policy and building code will be shared.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the role of GIS community mapping as outcome assessment tool for environmental health education outreach.
• Identify and evaluate geocoded demographic and environmental information in a community.
• Assess the role of geocoded information in community policy development.

Keywords: Geographic Information Systems, Community-Based Health Promotion

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.