Reducing Prenatal and Childhood Environmental Risks among Hispanic Families along the U.S.- Mexico Border

The project addresses the specific objective, “organize education campaigns related to children and environmental health, aimed at increasing awareness about potential exposure in the home and elsewhere (e.g., pesticides, lead, solvents, second-hand tobacco, and diesel exhaust)”. This objective is part of Border 2012 Texas-Coahuila-Nuevo Leon-Tamaulipas Regional Workgroup 2011 Priority Goal 4: Improve Environmental Health.
Expecting mothers and their children are population vulnerable to a plethora of environmental hazards throughout pregnancy and early childhood. Environmental exposures are linked to an array of adverse health effects. For instance, in the United States, 5-10% of learning disabilities among children in public schools have been attributed to the effects of environmental factors. Particularly among U. S. - Mexico border communities, some environmental exposures are more likely to occur than others. A few examples include use of illegal pesticides, skin lotions with high concentrations of mercury, both often available in Mexico and are often brought over to and used in the U.S. 
Two train-the-trainer sessions for 40 promotoras (lay healthcare workers), twenty from U.S. and twenty from Mexico were done in the summer of 2013. Training covered 17 health topics (i.e. endocrine disruptors, integrated pest management and pesticides, etc.). Promotoras educated 400 Hispanic families living along the U.S.- Mexico border through home visits to pregnant women or mothers of young children in a 3 month period. This presentation will describe the implementation and qualitative evaluation of the community outreach intervention, with a focus on the program's impact on: 1) changes in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding environmental hazards and 2) integration of environmental health awareness utilizing promotoras in underserved populations. As Border residents gain greater understanding of how environment affects health, improvements in both home and community environments will occur, potentially benefiting the short and long-term health of Border residents.