Childhood Asthma along the Salton Sea
The Childhood Asthma along the Salton Sea project engages caregivers of children living with asthma in addressing their children's heatlhcare needs.
“If you can see the photo how that steam looks at the end, I don't know if it's steam, cold or hot, I don't really know what it is, but it is quite shocking. That day it smelled pretty bad and it was a little windy.”
- Community Member of the Salton Sea
In our photovoice gallery caregivers use photography to document how the Salton Sea environment affects their children's health and wellbeing. Check out our gallery.
Behind the Project
Our research includes survey data collection, one-on-one interviews, and focus groups with caregivers of children with asthma. We also conducted a study that brings together data from photovoice, a participatory action research method, and indoor air monitoring sensors. As we learn more about children’s environmentally induced health conditions and the need for healthcare providers and healthcare systems to intervene, we are shifting toward health services and clinical research.
Principle Investigator: Ann Cheney, PhD
Community Investigator: Maria Pozar
Investigator: Nuria Rico, MD; Jennifer Zamora, DHSc, PA-C
Program Manager: Ashley Trindad, BS
Las Promotoras: Ana Gonzalez, Maria Molina, Mary Bautista, Nancy Del Castillo, Solangel Cruz, Sonia Rodriguez, Yesenia Pozar
What We’re Doing Now
Our team is collaborating with caregivers of children with asthma, community health workers, and healthcare providers to identify future research topics that are meaningful to caregivers, their children, and heatlhcare providers. This work is funded by the Patient Centerered Outcomes Research Institute. Check out our project page.
We developed several resources for caregivers, environmental advocates, and healthcare providers regarding the Salton Sea environment and childhood health conditions.
Community Reports
Childhood Asthma & the Salton Sea
Check out our brief report on common chronic health conditions among children living along the Sea’s border.
Nosebleeds: Childhood Asthma in the Eastern Coachella Valley
Childhood Asthma & the Salton Sea
Here’s our Zine that includes photos and stories of children’s chronic health conditions and descriptions of indoor air quality in the region.
Publications
The Intersection of Workplace and Environmental Exposure on Health in Latinx Farm Working Communities in Rural Inland Southern California
Cheney, A. M., Barrera, T., Rodriguez, K., & Jaramillo López, A. M. (2022). The Intersection of Workplace and Environmental Exposure on Health in Latinx Farm Working Communities in Rural Inland Southern California. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(19), 12940. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912940
Latinx and Indigenous Mexican Caregivers’ Perspectives of the Salton Sea Environment on Children’s Asthma, Respiratory Health, and Co-Presenting Health Conditions
Cheney AM, Ortiz G, Trinidad A, Rodriguez S, Moran A, Gonzalez A, Chavez J, Pozar M. Latinx and Indigenous Mexican Caregivers’ Perspectives of the Salton Sea Environment on Children’s Asthma, Respiratory Health, and Co-Presenting Health Conditions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(11):6023. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20116023
Seeking care across the US-Mexico border: The experiences of Latinx and Indigenous Mexican caregivers of children with asthma or respiratory distress
Ortiz, G., Rodriguez, S., Pozar, M., Moran, A., & Cheney, A. (2024). Seeking care across the US-Mexico border: The experiences of Latinx and Indigenous Mexican caregivers of children with asthma or respiratory distress. Social science & medicine (1982), 347, 116736. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38484457/