A COMPUTERIZED PROGRAM TO EDUCATE ADULTS ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL-HEALTH RISKS

A computerized program called Environmental Risk Appraisal (ERA) has b een developed to educate adults about environmental health risks and t o motivate positive behavior change. A questionnaire addresses issues such as radon, environmental tobacco smoke, pesticides, lead, air and water pollution, and worksite risks. Responses are computer processed in seconds to produce an individualized computer printout containing a score, educational messages, and phone numbers to call for more infor mation. A variety of audiences including environmental groups, worksit es, women's organizations and health professionals were represented in this study of 269 participants. Many respondents indicated they were exposed to important environmental hazards and nearly 40 percent repor ted they had, or might have had, an environmental related illness at s ome time. Preliminary evaluation indicates the program is effective as an educational tool in raising awareness of environmental health risk s.