Health & high water
Image created by Ada Ibeanu
An examination of the relationship between wet weather and the physical and mental health of Black residents in Pittsburgh.
EPA (Grant No: 84047301)
About the project:
The Health and High Water research project involves researchers from RAND and the University of Pittsburgh (Drs. Sarah Haig, Emily Elliott, Dan Bain, and Mima Ohwobete) working hand-in-hand with community partners (Homewood Children's Village and Black Environmental Collective) to understand and find solutions for the environmental injustices experienced by residents living in the Hill District and Homewood two predominantly Black neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Our academic and community-partnered team is working together to ensure that we ask the right questions, disseminate our findings, and use community-based scientific research to come up with effective community and policy-based solutions.
In this study, we will survey Hill District and Homewood residents who are part of the PHRESH study and have basements. We will ask questions about their neighborhood, home, and physical and mental well-being, with a focus on experiences with flooding and basement dampness. We will collect environmental data using air quality sensors installed in the basement as well as by collecting dust from the basement.
Participants will be compensated for being a part of this study and their survey responses will be confidential. Participants will also receive resources to help address the impacts of heavy rain, damp basements, indoor air quality, asthma, and more. To find out more about the study please click here
Community partners will help disseminate the research findings to participants and the community at large. After data have been collected, resident leaders will use the data to develop community-relevant solutions to the problems the research has identified. Resident leaders will inform providers and policy makers about the prevalence of basement dampness and how to mitigate its negative impacts on well-being, particularly in predominantly Black neighborhoods. The work will fill research gaps and help improve prevention, intervention, and health equity.