Contreras, John; Forrest, Rachel T.; Bayles, Madelyn (Westminster College)
Faculty Advisor: Contreras, John (Westminster College, Public Health); Forrest; Rachel T. (Westminster College, Public Health)
Air pollution, much of which results from human activities like transportation, may significantly harm children's health, from worsening asthma to potentially even lowering I.Q. This makes idling near schools a serious concern. In response, the EPA has developed an idle-free schools campaign. This campaign will be implemented during the 2019-2020 school year at a Salt Lake City elementary school. Ground-level ozone and PM2.5 levels will be measured before and after the campaign in order to determine its efficacy. Additionally, during the spring and summer of 2019, parents' perceptions of idling, and, by extension, air pollution, were examined using a focus group and a survey. The resulting data, which was analyzed using R statistical software and Excel, found associations between gender and beliefs about air pollution, as well as between education level and beliefs about air pollution. A better understanding of the effectiveness of the EPA's campaign and of parents' perceptions may be helpful in combating air pollution, leading to improved community health.