Environmental perception as a public health issue in socially vulnerable area in Brazil

Abstract

The residents of the the Vila Parque Santa Anita, a slum located in the municipality of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, are chronically exposed to a variety of environmental problems that impact the health of the residents. The presence of these problems appears to be related to the way in which residents perceive their environment and how they attribute responsibility for the environment. The objective of this quanti-qualitative study was to describe how the residents perceive their relationship to the environment. The study also compares the  perceptions of resident involved in the informal collection of recyclables with that of the rest of the population.  Of the 85 people that responded to the survey, 13 were recyclers. The qualitative part of the study involved distributing disposable cameras to 5 of the recyclers and 4 non-recyclers who were asked to take photographs of the environment, pollution and the causes of pollution in the vila. The photographers were subsequently  asked to explain the meaning of their photographs. While residents with higher levels of education exhibited a higher degree environmental awareness, this was not manifested as a higher degree of environmental consciousness in terms of responsibility for environmental conditions. Not unexpectedly, what non-recyclers perceive as garbage and pollution, the recyclers perceive as resources related to their livelihood. This, despite the fact that recyclers perceive more respiratory problems than do non-recyclers. The residents interpretations of the photographs indicates that they perceive the creek that runs through the vila, as a source of pollution rather than the pollution as a consequence of their activity. They also consider rats to be the most significant threat to their health. Respondents tended to place responsibility for addressing environmental problems on the municipality, the garbage collection system and other residents but rarely assumed responsibility for the problems themselves.