Air pollution and health: Training toolkit for Public Health Workers
Categories: Climate Resilient Health Systems, Healthy Climate Action in Other Sectors, Training, Tools, Global
Publisher: World Health Organization
Developed by WHO in collaboration with international health experts and scientists, the Air Pollution and Health Training (APHT) toolkit is a set of materials designed to enable public health workers to understand the health risks of air pollution and identify risk reduction measures.
The APHT toolkit aims to provide health workers with the knowledge and tools necessary to understand and address the health effects of air pollution and mitigate risks by effectively engaging with patients, individuals and communities, while advocating for clean air interventions.
What will you learn?
- to describe what are the main air pollutants and their sources;
- to describe how humans are exposed to air pollutants;
- to explain the main health effects of air pollution and the pathogenetic mechanisms through which air pollutants undermine people’s health;
- to recognize the health benefits of both ambient and household air pollution interventions at the public, the household and individual level;
- to outline the leading role health workers can play to address air pollution and health issues with individuals, patients, and communities.
Learning Experience
Structured into four modules, the toolkit covers key topics including the health effects of air pollution, sources and exposure pathways, interventions to reduce exposure, and the role of the health sector in advocacy and policy.
The modules are:
- Introduction to ambient air pollution
- Household air pollution
- Health effects of air pollution: a general overview
- The role of the public health workforce
Using a train-the-trainer approach, the APHT toolkit also helps facilitate the organization of in-person workshops, online courses and other learning opportunities with the train-the-trainers manual. The toolkit also includes an online self-paced course hosted by the WHO Academy, a package of training modules, and advocacy, communciation and outreach materials.
Intended users
Public health workers, in both the clinical and public health fields, and representatives of the Ministries of Health. Developed under a global perspective, it can serve different types of audiences within the health sector while taking into account the variety of roles within the public health workforce.