THE EVALUATION OF LEAD PREVENTION EDUCATION

A RECENT LONGITUDINAL STUDY IN THE NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE (NEEDLEMAN ET AL. 1990) REPORTS THAT DELETERIOUS EFFECTS OF RELATIVELY LOW BLOOD LEAD LEVELS IN CHILDREN (LESS THAN 20 UG/DL) ARE ASSOCIATED WITH DEFICITS IN CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM FUNCTIONING THAT PERSIST INTO YOUNG ADULTHOOD. THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM AIMED AT LANDLORDS AND THEIR TENANTS IN THE PHILLIPS NEIGHBORHOOD OF MINNEAPOLIS, AN INNER-CITY NEIGHBORHOOD WITH THE HIGHEST SOIL LEAD IN THE TWIN CITIES. THE LEAD PREVENTION EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS WILL BE DEVELOPED AND DISTRIBUTED BY LEAD FREE KIDS, INC. A CLASSIC FOUR-GROUP RESEARCH DESIGN WILL BE IMPLEMENTED, WITH TWO EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS AND TWO CONTROL GROUPS. DATA WILL BE GATHERED THROUGH PERSONAL INTERVIEWS AND BLOOD LEAD LEVELS OF A SAMPLE OF CHILDREN. AN EVALUATION SURVEY WILL BE ADMINISTERED, AND BLOOD LEAD LEVELS WILL AGAIN BE ASSESSED APPROXIMATELY 60 DAYS AFTER THE INITIAL TEST. IF THE PROGRAM IS SUCCESSFUL, DEFINED AS A DIFFERENCE IN THE BLOOD LEAD LEVELS BETWEEN THE CONTROL AND THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUPS, THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PREVENTION OF LOW- LEVELS AND LEAD POISONING IS GREAT.