Empowering London Primary School Communities to Know and Tackle Air Pollution Exposure

Abstract

This study tested the effectiveness of participatory methods to engage primary school communities in London with air pollution issues to help them identify, understand, and reduce their air pollution exposure. Three primary schools with high pollution levels participated in environmental educational activities, including air quality workshops and field campaigns involving different methods, time schedules, and project scopes. Participants completed surveys before and after these activities to measure their understanding, perceptions, and behavior. After the workshops, students admitted feeling more skillful in monitoring air quality and confident in incorporating this education into daily life and teaching others. They shared their results with peers, school leadership, and the community and led campaigns to help design experiments, choose measurement locations, and reduce air pollution exposure in schools. The results showed increased concern about air pollution, a better understanding of its causes and impacts, and more reported reduction behaviors. An Air Pollution Exposure Index (APEI) was combined with participatory monitoring data to raise awareness and understanding among students on typical school-day exposure. Feedback indicates that the tool was useful in defining air pollution exposure status and identifying exposure risks. Overall, this study contributes to the evidence of the feasibility and impact of student-led environmental education interventions These interventions involve collecting personalized exposure data, co-planning mitigations with school community groups, and employing methods to raise awareness of air pollution and empower pupils to identify potential solutions and change behaviors.