The WHO Green Page – Assessment of the Environmental Health Risks in Children

Abstract

BACKGROUND The objective of this study was to assess the possibility of implementation of the WHO Green Page as a tool to supplement basic medical interviews with environmental health risk factors for children. METHODS The WHO Green Page questionnaire was tested on parents of children who visited family practice doctors. RESULTS A total of 159 parents took part in the study. It was noted that 24.3% of caregivers expressed concern about their children's environment without naming the risk factors. It was also found that 23.7% of the parents demonstrated knowledge and awareness of existing real environmental risks, and 7.0% of them stated that their children had sustained injuries in connection with road traffic prior to the questionnaire study. CONCLUSIONS The WHO Green Page will provide additional information to the basic medical interview and, if regularly updated, will allow for monitoring of changing environmental conditions of children.