International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

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13 pages, 858 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Air Pollution Reduces Interpersonal Trust: The Roles of Emotion and Emotional Susceptibility

by Yubo Hou, Meiqi Gao, Lianqiong Huang and Qi Wang

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(11), 5631; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18115631 - 25 May 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3643

Abstract

Air pollution has been shown to have detrimental effects on physical and mental health, yet little is known about how air pollution affects psychosocial functioning in everyday life. We conducted three studies that utilized experimental methods and web crawler technology to examine the effect of hazy environmental conditions on perceived interpersonal trust, and to investigate the roles of emotion and emotional susceptibility in mediating or moderating the negative impact of air pollution. In Study 1, participants were presented with landscape photos that showed either hazy scenes or clear scenes. Those who viewed photos of hazy scenes reduced their levels of interpersonal trust. In Study 2, emotion data were collected from social media with web crawler technology, in connection with meteorological monitoring data during the same period. Hazy conditions were associated with reduced expressions of positive emotion on social media, whereas clearer conditions were associated with enhanced positive emotional expressions. In Study 3, we simulated Weibo communications in the laboratory. The findings showed that emotional susceptibility moderated the negative effect of hazy conditions on interpersonal trust, and negative emotion mediated the effect of hazy conditions on interpersonal trust. The findings advance the understanding of the impact of air pollution on interpersonal trust and social relations and the associated psychological mechanisms and boundary conditions. They have important real-life implications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Environment on the Health and Wellbeing of People)

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12 pages, 5253 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Needs of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders and Geographic Location of Emergency Shelters Suitable for Vulnerable People during a Tsunami

by Hisao Nakai, Tomoya Itatani, Seiji Kaganoi, Aya Okamura, Ryo Horiike and Masao Yamasaki

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1845; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041845 - 14 Feb 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3160

Abstract

In the current study, we sought to identify special needs and safe evacuation conditions for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (CNDs) along Japan’s tsunami-prone Pacific coast. A survey and spatial analysis were used to collect data of CNDs (n = 47) and their caregivers. Areas predicted to be flooded in a tsunami, as well as evacuation routes to emergency shelters for vulnerable people (ESVPs), were mapped using geographic information systems (GIS). Our results showed that five professional staff were needed to support 33 CNDs requiring 135.9 m² of ESVP space. Critical safety factors were altitude, vertical evacuation, accessibility to ESVPs, and nonexistence of estuaries in the direction of evacuation. GIS-based spatial analysis and evacuation modeling for disaster preparedness and training plans that involve nurses are essential. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Environment on the Health and Wellbeing of People)

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21 pages, 2472 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Effects of Environmental Pollution on Healthcare Services: Evidence from China

by Ning Zhang and Ying Mao

Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18(4), 1784; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18041784 - 12 Feb 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2178

Abstract

With the rapid development of urbanization and industrialization in China, environmental issues have become an urgent problem, especially issues related to air, water, and solid-waste pollution. These pollutants pose threats to the health of the population and to that of communities and have a vicious influence on the healthcare system. Additionally, pollution also exhibits spill-over effects, which means that pollution in the local region could affect the healthcare services in a neighboring region. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the relationship between pollution and healthcare. A spatial autocorrelation analysis was conducted and spatial panel econometric models were constructed to explore the characteristics of pollution and healthcare services in China and the relationship between them using data on all 31 provinces over 12 consecutive years (2006–2017). The results showed that the utilization of healthcare services and environmental pollution were not randomly distributed; unsurprisingly, air pollution and solid-waste pollution were mainly found in parts of northern China, while water pollution was highest in southern and coastal China. In addition, environmental pollution exhibited spill-over effects on healthcare services. For example, a 1% increase in solid waste in one specific geographical unit was estimated to increase the inpatient visits per capita in adjacent counties by 0.559%. Specifically, pollution showed different degrees of influence on healthcare services, which means that the impact of environmental pollution on the number of outpatient visits is greater than on the number of inpatient visits. Our results provide the government with evidence for effectively formulating and promulgating policies, especially policies aimed at tackling spill-over effects among different regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Environment on the Health and Wellbeing of People)

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