Head Start centers in Webb County, Texas primarily serve low-income Hispanic families disproportionately affected by environmental exposures. A total of 560 parents and employees attended environmental trainings. Pre- and post-assessments measured whether the trainings were effective at improving related knowledge and behaviors. A total of 152 parents and 94 employees signed consent forms. Only the 64 parents and 50 employees who completed all questionnaires were included in the data analysis. Paired t tests and McNemar tests found significant improvements in knowledge and behaviors related to multiple environmental topics (p < 0.05). Mean scores out of eleven for knowledge before and immediately after were 9.69 (95 % CI 9.44, 9.94) and 10.58 (95 % CI 10.42, 10.74), respectively. Mean scores out of ten for behavior before and 1 month after training were 8.00 (95 % CI 7.71, 8.29) and 9.29 (95 % CI 9.10, 9.48), respectively. This pilot study found improved knowledge and behaviors following environmental health training.
Keywords: Behavior; Education; Healthy homes; Hispanic; Knowledge.