Learning and Living With Wildfire Smoke

The proposed intervention in this Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) proposal will improve knowledge and awareness of the health impacts of air pollution exposure, will elevate the youth voice, improve youth self-efficacy and lead to behavior changes that would reduce exposure to air pollution in a high school setting. These outcomes will be accomplished through the introduction of a new air quality curriculum, called AirActions, into freshman science classes, and the establishment of an after-school air quality monitoring program. All students enrolled in freshman Honors Biology (Pueblo East and Montrose High Schools), Intro to Agriculture (The STEAD School) and Environmental Science (Grand Junction High School) will participate in the new air quality curriculum, as it will be built into the existing lesson plans. For the after-school monitoring program, the PI and participating teachers (Letters A and B) will recruit 10 to 15 students at each school to be involved in the Student Research Cohort (SRC). Information on this program and how to apply will be shared with students through their health and science classes, included in the school newsletter, and posted on billboards around the school. Students will be identified within the following inclusion criteria: 1) freshman or sophomores in high school and 2) participation in the AirActions curriculum. New students will be recruited each year to keep a consistent group as students leave and/or graduate. New students will be brought up to speed by carry-over students, and each new year will represent a separate SRC dedicated to a specific goal.