Media coverage of childhood lead poisoning often includes a parent sharing the sentiment, “I had no idea my home could poison my child.”
There are several things a caregiver can do within a home to reduce a child’s risk of lead exposure, including cleaning practices and frequent hand-washing. In communities that rely on tenant complaints to address home health hazards, ensuring that caregivers are informed about lead risks may lead to greater reporting of hazards.
What’s the solution?
Increasing parental awareness of lead poisoning risks, the consequences of lead poisoning, and what they can do in their homes to protect their children are all important pieces to addressing the lead crisis.
Outreach materials should be designed with the target audience in mind, available in multiple languages, using culturally appropriate references, conveyed by a trusted messenger, and disseminated in places and through methods where the target audience will see, understand, and trust the outreach. Omaha’s GotLead.org outreach effort is one example of targeted lead poisoning prevention outreach.
