air pollution, its effects on children, and a solution to address the issue

 air pollution, its effects on children, and a solution to address the issue

Climate change presents a major environmental and public health issue due to the effects it has on population health. Changes in climate have resulted in decreased quality of air globally. In the United States, the majority of the populations in urban settings are exposed to poor quality air that causes detrimental effects on their respiratory health. Children, as a vulnerable population, are adversely affected by the increased air pollutants. The paper aims to discuss a policy brief that summarizes air pollution, its effects on children, and a solution to address the issue.

Policy Health Issue

Increased air pollution is an environmental problem that leads to a public health issue due to the surge in respiratory health problems. Based on the report that was provided by the American Public Health Association, pollution of air is one of the effects of climate change that is associated with significant health problems in the population. Respiratory diseases are promoted when there is an increase in the particulate matter and pollutants in the atmosphere. Examples of respiratory infections include pulmonary disease, lung disorders, and asthma (Esposito et al., 2014). The American Lung Association (2019) stated that children are more vulnerable and susceptible to these respiratory diseases compared to other demographics. The high vulnerability in children is attributable to the developing lungs and breathing a lot of air due to their high level of activity (ALA, 2019). Studies have also demonstrated that children are affected by air pollution before birth resulting in preterm births, congenital disabilities, and children with a high susceptibility to respiratory diseases (Lewis et al., 2014). The limited growth of the lungs also impacts respiratory health in children due to air pollutants. As a result of reduced lung growth, children may experience low lung function that may lead to respiratory distress, wheezing, and asthmatic allergic reactions (Esposito et al., 2014).

The reduction of quality breathing air is generally regarded as a national and public health issue, and it is evident across the country. The APHA (2019b) showed that air quality is declining across the states due to the recurrent wildfires, increase in particulate matter in the atmosphere, and ragweed growth. The climate changes have led to national reductions in air quality. For instance, the recent wildfires in Southern California have resulted in an increase in emergency visits due to cases of asthma and respiratory obstruction. Also, an increase in particulate matter in New York City has increased emergency visits due to asthma (APHA, 2019b). The ragweed season has also increased in some states, such as by 20 days in Minnesota and Minneapolis. And 18 days in North Dakota. The State of the Air annual report of 2018 also indicated that the majority of American children, particularly those in low-income populations, live in counties and states with unhealthy air most of the year (ALA, 2019).

Problem Statement

The side effects of air pollution pose a challenge to the health and wellbeing of the population. A significant number of children across the US experience asthma as the primary respiratory disease (Lewis et al., 2014). A good number of the children are affected by the depleting ozone, and particulate matter that contributes to low air quality is from low-income populations. As air pollution continues to increase due to climate change, the susceptibility of children to asthma and other respiratory diseases will increase (APHA, 2019a). As a vulnerable population, the consequences of environmental public health issues mainly affect the children more adversely than other patients. Low levels of air pollutants and toxic materials could also have negative impacts on children’s health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). The development of an improved policy to address the issue of air quality would help to protect the children from adverse effects and increased hospital visits due to asthma and other respiratory illnesses (Payne-Sturges et al., 2019).

Suggestions for Addressing the Health Issue Caused by the Current Policy

The health issue would be addressed by focusing on the primary factors that contribute to air pollution. First, it would be essential for the health policy to consider prevention and health promotion strategies to foster vigilance in the communities against practices that increase air pollutants (Payne-Sturges et al., 2019). For instance, the programs would encourage the communities to limit car emissions by carpooling and considering public transport. Secondly, public education on the health issue would support the communities to mind the health of their children by limiting indoor exposure to pollutants such as smoke (CDC, 2019; APHA, 2019a). Finally, scaling community exposure to pollutants would help to reduce the level of contaminants in the atmosphere.

The initiation of policy change would include steps such as; identification of areas of improvement, evidence of the effects of the problems in the population, the recommendation of solutions, presentation to relevant stakeholders, and implementation of the policy (Payne-Sturges et al., 2019). As such, the health policy would be presented to government officials in the local government, public health professionals, and environmental experts. The stakeholders would support the system due to their role as public health and environmental advocates in the communities (APHA, 2019b).

Impact on the Health Delivery System

A policy change would play a significant role in the reduction of respiratory diseases among children. The reduction would result in a decrease in emergency visits. In a healthcare delivery system that is overstretched by the high prevalence of different health problems in the population, a reduction in emergency and hospital visits for the children would improve care delivery in the system (Payne-Sturges et al., 2019). As such, healthcare providers would provide improved patient satisfaction and experience with a reduced number of cases due to air pollution.