Air quality and the Long Beach Cambodian community

Air quality in Long Beach, California, is degraded by pollution from the ports, freight transportation, traffic and refineries. Central Long Beach, where many Cambodians reside, is highly impacted by these air pollution sources. While Long Beach houses the largest Cambodian population in the United States outside of Cambodia, minimal information exists on the health impacts of air pollution on the Cambodian community.

This pilot community-based participatory research project provides context on air quality and the Long Beach Cambodian community utilizing “ground truthing” and focus groups. The project aims are: (1) To identify localized health hazards from outdoor air pollution; (2) To identify sensitive receptors; and (3) To identify community knowledge related to air pollution, health impacts and advocacy strategies.

Residents from the Long Beach Cambodian community are recruited to participate in focus groups that investigate the health impacts of and community knowledge surrounding air pollution. These individuals are also trained in “ground truthing”, where community-driven observations and knowledge of environmental hazards and sensitive receptors are used to verify and correct governmental agency information and develop a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental impacts faced by the community.

Community agencies and residents collaborate with health care researchers at all stages of the project: development, training, data collection and analysis, and dissemination. Community members can utilize emerging findings from this pilot study to develop appropriate advocacy strategies.

(This pilot study is funded by the Assessment of Local Environmental Risk Training to Reduce Health Disparities project at the University of California, Los Angeles.)