Introduction: Environmental health literacy

Abstract

Environmental Health Literacy (EHL) is a recently emerged, distinct subfield of literacy that draws equally upon key principles and methodological approaches from the fields of risk communication, health literacy, environmental health sciences (EHS), communications research, and education (Finn and O’Fallon 2017a; Gray 2018). Although, EHL has obvious roots in health literacy, it is very distinct in its purpose and outcomes. For EHL focuses primarily on improving the understanding of affected communities about risks related to environmental factors rather than solely on an individual’s risk of disease, and on prevention rather than disease management and medical adherence. This focus on public health rather than disease management is consistent with the goals of EHS research to prevent environmentally induced disease. However, ‘affected communities’ are not monolithic in their demographics, and EHL has emerged during an era when there is greater recognition of the importance of cultural sensitivity in community-engaged research and the need for targeted messaging for specific subpopulations and audiences (Brugge et al. 2018; LePrevost et al. 2013; Lesch et al. 2009).