Awareness and perception of air pollution among people in a tertiary care hospital, Coimbatore, India (original) (raw)
Air pollution is a public health problem in India with many exposed to high levels of particulate matter causing various health hazards. Awareness against this is the cornerstone for any intervention. Our main objective is to evaluate the knowledge and perception on air pollution amongst people in a Coimbatore tertiary care hospital.This study was done among 154 hospital staff and patients (semi-structured questionnaires) and the findings were: Most respondents were under 35 , female and urban. 28.6% rated air quality as hazardous due to private vehicles and industrial processes. Many were aware of pollution's health effects but only few were aware of AQI and particulate matter. The study suggests government action to improve the air quality by creating awareness about air pollution and implementing strategies to reduce the same by encouraging community participation.