Lead is an element that naturally occurs in the environment, but much of the lead found in the environment today exists as a result of human activity. When young children are exposed to lead, it can enter the bloodstream and cause a myriad of negative health effects that can affect them for the rest of their lives, as the consequences of lead poisoning are often irreversible (National Center for Healthy Housing, 2008). Based on a child’s level of exposure, they could experience hyperactivity, impaired brain and organ development, low IQ, reading disabilities, and in some cases, coma and even death (National Center for Healthy Housing, 2008). Prior to understanding the potentials dangers of lead, it was utilized in many products such as gasoline,
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Of those 208,443 children with elevated lead blood levels, 5,164 were from the state of Georgia (CDC, 2014). Of the 5,164 children in Georgia with elevated lead blood levels, 194 of them lived in Chatham County, making Chatham County one of the high risk areas in the state (Georgia Department of Public Health, 2014). One of the contributing factors to the high risk associated with Chatham County is the high percentage of homes built before 1980 (50%) and before 1950 (16-20%) that contain lead paint (Rustin, Kuriatnyk, Lobsinger, & Charles, 2015). This means that potentially 70% of homes in Chatham County contain high levels of lead. Those more likely to have elevated lead blood levels include: non-hispanic black children, those living in a low income household, and those enrolled in a Medicaid program (CDC, 2013). Parental education about lead exposure has been shown to decrease blood lead levels in their children (Shen, Yan, Wu & Si, 2004). Armed with this knowledge, and the fact that caregivers make the majority of decisions for those six years of age and younger, the target population for the Keeping Our Kids Lead Free program is the parents/guardians of non-hispanic black children less than 6 years of age in Chatham County, Georgia who are part of low-income
Of those 208,443 children with elevated lead blood levels, 5,164 were from the state of Georgia (CDC, 2014). Of the 5,164 children in Georgia with elevated lead blood levels, 194 of them lived in Chatham County, making Chatham County one of the high risk areas in the state (Georgia Department of Public Health, 2014). One of the contributing factors to the high risk associated with Chatham County is the high percentage of homes built before 1980 (50%) and before 1950 (16-20%) that contain lead paint (Rustin, Kuriatnyk, Lobsinger, & Charles, 2015). This means that potentially 70% of homes in Chatham County contain high levels of lead. Those more likely to have elevated lead blood levels include: non-hispanic black children, those living in a low income household, and those enrolled in a Medicaid program (CDC, 2013). Parental education about lead exposure has been shown to decrease blood lead levels in their children (Shen, Yan, Wu & Si, 2004). Armed with this knowledge, and the fact that caregivers make the majority of decisions for those six years of age and younger, the target population for the Keeping Our Kids Lead Free program is the parents/guardians of non-hispanic black children less than 6 years of age in Chatham County, Georgia who are part of low-income