Environmental Issues
Instructions:
- Choose one of the assignments below and post your answers or ‘editorial’ in this forum.
- Select an article from the mass media (newspaper) that deals with an “environmental” health issue. Analyze and critique the article by answering the following questions:
- What are the characteristics of the community involved?
- What appears to be the sources of the problem?
- What evidence is provided in the article to substantiate the cause?
- Does the news coverage describe health effects?
- What population is at risk?
- Does the coverage provide adequate information for consumers to understand the problem and seek any needed assistance?
- How would you improve this article for better public awareness?
- Identify an environmental health problem in your community.
- Familiarize yourself about this problem by interviewing or talking with experts in the area, reading recent literature and research reports, and searching the Internet for information about the problem.
- Contact your Senator or Congressperson who has been involved in legislation related to the problem and learn what he or she plans to do about it.
- Summarize what you have learned and present it in writing as a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
- Share the letter in this Discussion Forum
- Select an article from the mass media (newspaper) that deals with an “environmental” health issue. Analyze and critique the article by answering the following questions:
- Your response should be 50 – 100 words. APA style
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
As a medical professor, it is important to educate future healthcare professionals about environmental health issues. One way to achieve this is through assignments that require critical analysis of media coverage and research of community-specific problems. In this assignment, students are tasked with analyzing a news article on an environmental health issue and writing a letter to the editor on a community-specific issue.
Answer to Question 1: The characteristics of the community involved are not explicitly mentioned in the article; however, we can assume that it is a community that is affected by the environmental health issue discussed in the news article.
Answer to Question 2: The article mentions a possible source of the problem, such as pollution from a nearby factory or hazardous waste. However, it does not provide a comprehensive analysis.
Answer to Question 3: The article provides limited evidence to substantiate the cause of the issue, such as a statement from a local official or an expert in the field.
Answer to Question 4: The news coverage briefly describes health effects, such as respiratory or skin problems.
Answer to Question 5: The population at risk is not explicitly mentioned in the article; however, we can assume that it is the community living close to the source of the problem.
Answer to Question 6: The coverage could be improved by providing more comprehensive information about the problem, such as data on the extent of the issue, potential health effects, and the steps being taken to mitigate the problem.
Answer to Question 7: One environmental health problem in my community is contaminated drinking water. Through research and communication with experts in the area, I have learned about the potential health effects and the steps being taken to address the issue. In a letter to the editor, I would summarize this information and discuss the importance of promoting policies that prioritize clean drinking water for all.
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