Community-Based Survey Methods and Knowledge

Community members in the 20 chapters are being asked to provide information on their land and water use patterns and their health status. These results are being used in development of the preliminary exposure models. All survey data are being collected by Navajo team members through in-person discussions with participants. Participants are identified through an extensive outreach campaign to the chapters, with results of all data collected by the project returned to the chapters in oral presentations and permanent notebooks. The notebooks reflect the first steps in health interventions through evaluating water quality based on usage for drinking, livestock watering or other domestic use. These data provide the first feedback to residents on the safety of their water sources and serve to inform them of safe alternatives. The community staff will address the process and the two way educational methods that have been used to engage the community and truly incorporate the communities in the design and implementation of the project. In addition, efforts of the community to use the information learned from the project to inform local and tribal policy will be discussed.