BACKGROUND:
Exposure to
air pollution has a detrimental effect on
health and disproportionately
affects people living in socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Engaging with
communities to identify concerns and
solutions could support organisations responsible for
air quality control, improve environmental
decision-making, and widen
understanding of
air quality issues associated with
health. This scoping
review aimed to provide an overview of approaches used to engage
communities in addressing
air quality and identify the outcomes that have been achieved.
METHODS:
Searches for studies that described
community engagement in
air quality activities were conducted across five databases (Academic Search Complete, CABI, GreenFILE,
MEDLINE, Web of
Science). Data on study characteristics,
community engagement approach, and relevant outcomes were extracted. The
review process was informed by a multi-stakeholder group with an interest in and experience of
community engagement in
air quality. Thirty-nine
papers from thirty studies were included in the final synthesis.
CONCLUSION:
A range of approaches have been used to engage
communities in addressing
air quality, most notably
air quality monitoring. Positive outcomes included increased
awareness,
capacity building, and changes to organisational
policy and practice. Longer-term
projects and further exploration of the impact of
community engagement on improving
air quality and
health are needed as
reporting on these outcomes was limited.