title: Perception, culture, and science: A framework to identify in-home heating options to improve indoor air quality in the Navajo Nation.
abstract: A 2010 study identified higher than average incidence of respiratory disease in Shiprock, NM, the largest city in the Navajo Nation. That study suggested that the potential cause was the combustion of solid fuels in in-home heating stoves and that respiratory disease could be greatly reduced by changing indoor heating behaviors and improving heating stove quality. Since the Navajo people are deeply embedded in culture and traditions that strongly influence their daily lives, a new framework was needed to identify feasible heating alternatives that could reduce the negative environmental and health impacts related to solid fuel use while respecting the culture of the Navajo people. The resulting Navajo framework included perception, cultural, and technical assessments to evaluate seven heating alternatives perceived viable by Navajo stakeholders. Cultural experts at the Diné Policy Institute identified potential cultural limitations and motivating factors for each alternative. A limited technical assessment of the health benefits of these options was conducted and integrated into the process. A parallel convergent mixed-methods approach was employed to integrate qualitative and quantitative results. The results and framework developed and presented here may be useful for decision makers in communities heavily reliant on solid fuels for heat, especially Native Nations, where culture plays an important role in the success of any intervention.
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado, Boulder, Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engr. Dept., Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex, 4001 Discovery Drive, 607 UCB, S286A, Boulder, Colorado 80303-0607, United States. Electronic address: Wyatt.Champion@colorado.edu.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Champion
authors.affiliation: Diné College- Shiprock Campus, Dine Environmental Institute, PO Box 580, Shiprock, New Mexico 87420, United States. Electronic address: phcharley@dinecollege.edu.
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Charley
authors.affiliation: Diné College- Shiprock Campus, Dine Environmental Institute, PO Box 580, Shiprock, New Mexico 87420, United States. Electronic address: bklein@dinecollege.edu.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Klein
authors.affiliation: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 Air Division, Air Toxics, Radiation, and Indoor Air Office, 75 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94105, United States. Electronic address: Stewart.Kathleen@epa.gov.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: United States Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 944 E. Harmon Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89119, United States. Electronic address: Solomon.Paul@epa.gov.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado, Boulder, Civil, Environmental & Architectural Engr. Dept., Sustainability, Energy and Environment Complex, 4001 Discovery Drive, 607 UCB, S286A, Boulder, Colorado 80303-0607, United States. Electronic address: Lupita.Montoya@colorado.edu.
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Montoya
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003296:Cooking; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006361:Heating; D006794:Household Articles; D006801:Humans; D007198:Indians, North American; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D000073597:Stakeholder Participation
keywords: Coal; Health and environmental benefits; Mixed-method approach; Native Nations; Weatherization; Wood