Task 7 - Develop IndicatorsThe analysis that was conducted in Task 6 contributed to the development of indicators for each of the four priority topics. EHAT members used the analyzing frameworks to identify which contributing factors, exposure pathways or activities could be quantified in terms of the relationship between the environmental health issue and the affected population. This exercise required the assessment team to consider how local conditions may alter the environmental factor and what data sources may be readily available that could lend credible information to utilize a specific indicator to measure a health status. This task proved to be quite time-consuming for the EHAT members given their lack of experience with identifying appropriate, local indicators of environmental health. As part of the indicator development process, staff engaged EHAT in a number of sessions by providing examples of indicators used in other environmental health program areas. Many of the initial indicators identified during brainstorm sessions would have been useful tools to monitor the environmental health status of the local population, yet, the lack of local data led the group to identify other strategies and contributing factors. This task was a good learning opportunity for EHAT members who presumed at the beginning of the exercise that local, state and federal environmental health programs collect copious amounts of data that can be used at a local level to assess the environmental health status of the community. The lack of available, local data for two of the top four priority areas led to the development of data collection efforts to enable the use of the selected indicators. For West Nile Virus (WNV), a mosquito surveillance effort was undertaken to establish the presence and distribution of WNV-vector species within Island County. For recreational land-use the EHAT developed a walkability assessment tool to measure the potential of identified geographic areas for recreational opportunities; specifically, walking. The development of this tool narrowed the focus of the this priority issue from recreational land-use to walkability for the remainder of the PACE-EH process.. Indicators were identified for all four priority areas using the analyzing frameworks from Task 6 and the availability of local data. |