Grant: Project Grant

There is robust evidence linking prenatal exposures to common environmental toxicants such as lead, pesticides, Bisphenol A and second-hand smoke to a variety of negative reproductive and developmental health outcomes. Prenatal healthcare providers (PHPs) have shown considerable success in educating prospective parents about the importance of reducing fetal exposures to some toxicants, namely tobacco smoke and alcohol. Problematically, PHPs rarely counsel patients about other toxicants despite evidence of risks, patient demand and the proliferation of potentially harmful advice. Given the importance of reducing exposures and the crucial role PHPs play in counselling patients, the goal of this project is to understand the factors that promote and inhibit uptake of prenatal environmental health preventive care activities across diverse prenatal care, community, occupational and environmental health contexts in Canada. To address this we will first conduct a national survey of reproductive-aged women to assess environmental health knowledge, attitudes, protective practices and educational preferences. This will be followed by a national survey of PHPs to examine their environmental health knowledge, attitudes, clinical practices, experiences and patient education opportunities and barriers. Finally, we will carry out focus groups with a) patients and b) PHPs to identify and examine the suitability of education strategies for diverse clinical, community, occupational and environmental contexts. Our multidisciplinary team is comprised of experts in reproductive health and clinical care, environmental health and health education and we are partnered with key prenatal care and environmental health organizations. This project will directly influence Canadian policy and practice and it represents a critical step toward ensuring that PHPs are equipped to effectively counsel patients, and that patients have the information they need to make informed choices during pregnancy.