Citation:

Rappold, A., M. Hano, S. Prince, L. Wei, M. Huang, C. Baghdikian, B. Stearns, X. Gao, S. Hoshiko, W. Cascio, D. Diazsanchez, AND B. Hubbell. Smoke Sense Initiative Leverages Citizen Science to Address the Growing Wildfire-Related Public Health Problem. GeoHealth. American Geophysical Union, Washington, DC, 3(12):443-457, (2019). https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GH000199

Impact/Purpose:

Smoke Sense represents a new type of citizen science which provides real-time information to individuals about the hazards of smoke exposures in their locations and the types of actions they can take to reduce exposures, while engaging them in research to improve knowledge about how smoke exposures affect health and behavior. Data from the pilot season of Smoke Sense suggested a clear demand for personally relevant data during wildfire episodes, and citizen science participants provided important information regarding the connection between health symptoms, smoke observations, perceptions and attitudes regarding smoke as an environmental hazard and a health risk, and adoption of health actions.

Description:

Smoke Sense is a citizen science project which provides real-time information about the hazards of smoke exposures and the types of actions people can take to reduce exposures. The participation is done through the smart phone application which engages users in research to improve knowledge about how smoke exposures affect health and behavior. We investigated the role of personal health, perceptions of risk, and symptoms experienced during wildfire episodes in relation to adopting preventive health behaviors. Data from the pilot season (August 1, 2017 – January 7, 2019; n = 4,958) suggest there is a clear demand for personally relevant data during wildfire episodes motivated by the personal concern for health. However, while participants shared clear perceptions of the environmental hazard and health risks in general, they did not consistently recognize their own personal health risk. The engagement in health protective behavior was driven in response to symptoms rather than as preventive courses of action. We also observed clear differences in the adoption likelihood of various health protective behaviors attributed to barriers and perceived benefits of these actions. Based on pilot season data we summarize key insights which may improve current health risk communications in nudging individuals toward health protective behavior; there is a need to increase personal awareness of risk and compelling evidence that health protective behaviors are beneficial.

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