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

Abstract #110634

Linda A. De Witt, BS, Nabil Alsoufi, MD, Norma Lisenko, BA, and Juan Carlos Palacios, MD. Health Education Department, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132, (707) 542-5584, Beautifulmoon_1@yahoo.com

Lead poisoning continues to be a concern for young, low-income children. In California, Latino families are the fastest growing population and are most impacted by lead poisoning. Cultural beliefs and practices among Latinos also have the tendency to expose young children to non-traditional sources of lead. A community needs assessment was conducted in Marin County, California by four Master in Public Health students from San Francisco State University. The assessment researched general awareness and knowledge of lead hazards among low-income Latino parents with children 5 years of age and younger. A total of four focus groups were conducted in the cities of San Rafael and Novato. Participants were recruited from the following groups: Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), Head Start Programs and Marin Maternity Services. A lead poisoning prevention education component was also included at the end of each focus group. Qualitative results of the focus groups revealed three interesting findings: (1) participants were generally aware about sources of lead hazards, (2) there were misconceptions regarding symptoms and residual effects of lead poisoning, (3) participants wanted more information about lead and lead poisoning itself.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, the participant (learner) will be able to

• Describe conditions that expose Latino children in California to lead poisoning.
• Evaluate factors affecting awareness of lead poisoning in Latinos from California.
• List methods for developing culturally appropriate lead poisoning prevention programs.

Keywords: Latinos, Lead

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.