Physicians’ and Patients’ Knowledge, Perceptions, and Awareness of Saharan Dust Events and Diesel Particulate Matter Impact on Public Health: A Qualitative Approach

Abstract:

An estimated seven million people worldwide die annually due to air pollution. Thus, the impact on climate, human health, and on the ecosystem are public health priorities for society. Epidemiological studies show significant correlations between atmospheric particulate matter and emergency rooms visits, hospitalizations, and deaths due to exacerbation of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases; however, studies assessing the health effects exclusive due to African dust and Diesel Particulate Matter are limited in Puerto Rico (P.R.) and the Caribbean. The objective of this study is to assess physicians’ and patients’ knowledge, awareness, and perceptions regarding the public health impact of Saharan dust in P.R. Methods: Key informant interviews, focus groups and phone interviews were performed between August 2019 thru June 2020 at private and public hospitals and outpatients’ clinics in P.R. Results: Eleven key informants’ interviews were performed with physicians (27% females & 73% males) from 6 subspecialties. Four focus groups (n=16) from cardiology (40%) and pediatric pulmonology (40%) patients and four phone interviews with cancer patients were performed. Main symptoms caused by Saharan Dust exposure were identified as cough, eye irritation, allergy, nasal congestion, and asthma exacerbation. An increase of emergency rooms visits, and hospitalizations was observed during these events. The main recommendation from participants regarding early warning advisories and monitoring were a user friendly app with text notifications or a web-page easy to understand. Conclusion: This study suggests health impacts of African dust exposure on patients with chronic diseases, as well as educational needs in both patients and providers in P.R. These findings will help our team co-develop solutions, create Public Health Advisories and Early Warning Systems using NASA state of the art earth observation data. Among next steps, our project is focusing on the development of educational materials for this population and improving Air Quality Early Warning Systems working with weather forecasters and Public Health practitioners. Acknowledgments: Supported by NASA, Grant: #80NSSC19K0194. The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of the University of P.R. – Medical Sciences Campus (#B1540119).