Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Raymond Panas

Abstract

AbstractIndoor air pollution has been implicated in many chronic health conditions, including childhood asthma, which is more prevalent among African American children. Children are more susceptible than adults to the effects of exposure to indoor air pollution; however, many parents may not be aware of the polluting impacts of products in their homes and are inadvertently placing their families at risk for adverse health outcomes. Understanding parents’ perceptions and experiences is essential for planning and developing educational programs and interventions for improving indoor environment management as part of asthma management in children. This descriptive phenomenological study aimed to explore parents’ perception of their children’s exposure to indoor air pollution and describe parents’ experiences with managing their indoor environment in relation to their children’s asthma. Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with nine African American parents who had children aged 3 to 6 years diagnosed with asthma. Thematic analyses revealed three themes that summarized the participants’ perceptions and beliefs about asthma and indoor air pollution: perceived pollution/triggers, perceived effects of exposure, and parental management. Bandura’s social cognitive theory provided the theoretical framework for the study. The unexpected finding was that parents consider cleaning as a strategy to manage their indoor environment and control their children’s asthma. The significant finding from the study highlights the need for parental education on indoor pollutants and their influence on asthma. The findings can be used to plan and develop educational programs for parents on indoor pollutants and their impact on asthma.

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