ENVISIONING CLEAN AIR

Air quality is a pressing public health issue. Each year more than 9 million people across the globe die prematurely from air pollution related causes (Fuller et al., 2022). Moreover, chronic exposure to air pollution is also related to health problems such as asthma and cardiovascular disease. A specific type of air pollution that threatens the health and well-being of people is transportation related air pollution (TRAP). In cities such as Boston, TRAP has become a major concern as a shortage of housing has led to new housing developments being built near major transportation corridors. While there are some community-based organizations (e.g., Mystic River Watershed Association, Mothers Out Front, AIR Inc.) trying to bring attention to the importance of mitigating air pollution, residents are still unfamiliar indicators of poor air quality, how chronic exposure to poor air quality can impact health, and how to introduce mitigation strategies to address it. This project builds off an existing community-based study to engage residents in the co-creation of visual stories (a comic book and animated film) to help inform the environmental health literacy and critical consciousness of residents in the Greater Boston area.

To learn more visit: www.envisioningcleanair.com

Collaborators: Mystic River Watershed Association; Dr. Neelakshi Hudda (she/her) a Research Assistant Professor at Tufts University; Renée Cammarata Hamilton, Director, Health Improvement Team & Clinical Instructor at Cambridge Health Alliance; LJ-Baptiste (he/him) a Boston based art educator and cartoonist; Yuchen Wu (she/her) a visual artist and animator; and Riana Howard a PhD Candidate at Boston University School of Social Work.