Psychological and contextual drivers of indoor air quality behaviours in a deprived urban community: Evidence from participatory research.

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Title: Psychological and contextual drivers of indoor air quality behaviours in a deprived urban community: Evidence from participatory research.
Authors: Tirotto, Francesca Ausilia1 (AUTHOR) TirottoF@cardiff.ac.uk, Varaden, Diana2 (AUTHOR), Kelly, Frank J2 (AUTHOR), Poortinga, Wouter1,3 (AUTHOR)
Source: Building & Environment. Feb2026, Vol. 289, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subject Terms: *Indoor air quality, *Environmental indicators, Self-efficacy, Participant observation, Health Belief Model, Behavior modification, Poor communities, Longitudinal method
Geographic Terms: London (England)
Abstract: • Perceived severity, not vulnerability, predicts indoor air quality behaviours. • Mould and damp act as contextual cues for indoor air quality behaviours. • Participatory research can support behaviour change and boost self-efficacy. • Cooking and heating behaviours show increased probability of change over time. • Self-efficacy became a stronger predictor of behaviour over time. Indoor air pollution poses significant health risks, disproportionately affecting deprived communities that often face higher levels of exposure. This study, conducted as part of the WellHome project, employed a longitudinal design and a participatory research approach, directly involving 110 residents of a deprived urban area in West London in indoor air quality research. It tested an adapted Health Belief Model (HBM), tailored to indoor air quality behaviours, to examine how perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, self-efficacy, perceptions of indoor and outdoor air quality, and contextual cues to action relate to behavioural changes aimed at improving indoor air quality. It also assessed whether these factors predicted behaviour change over time, and explored patterns across various household behaviours, such as cooking, cleaning, heating, smoking, personal care, home fragrance use, window opening, and air purifier use. Results show that self-efficacy, perceived severity, perceptions of indoor and outdoor air quality, and cues to action were significantly associated with behaviour change, while perceived vulnerability was not. Notably, the influence of self-efficacy on behaviour increased over time, underscoring its role in sustaining long-term change. Visible cues, such as mould and damp, emerged as strong contextual triggers for action. Among the behaviours assessed, changes were most frequently reported in window opening, cooking, and cleaning, although a clear increase in change over time was only observed for cooking and heating. These findings suggest that a participatory approach can be effective in promoting healthier indoor environments in vulnerable communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Building & Environment is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Psychological and contextual drivers of indoor air quality behaviours in a deprived urban community: Evidence from participatory research.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Indoor+air+quality%22">Indoor air quality</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Environmental+indicators%22">Environmental indicators</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self-efficacy%22">Self-efficacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Participant+observation%22">Participant observation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Health+Belief+Model%22">Health Belief Model</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Behavior+modification%22">Behavior modification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Poor+communities%22">Poor communities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Longitudinal+method%22">Longitudinal method</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22London+%28England%29%22">London (England)</searchLink>
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  Data: • Perceived severity, not vulnerability, predicts indoor air quality behaviours. • Mould and damp act as contextual cues for indoor air quality behaviours. • Participatory research can support behaviour change and boost self-efficacy. • Cooking and heating behaviours show increased probability of change over time. • Self-efficacy became a stronger predictor of behaviour over time. Indoor air pollution poses significant health risks, disproportionately affecting deprived communities that often face higher levels of exposure. This study, conducted as part of the WellHome project, employed a longitudinal design and a participatory research approach, directly involving 110 residents of a deprived urban area in West London in indoor air quality research. It tested an adapted Health Belief Model (HBM), tailored to indoor air quality behaviours, to examine how perceived vulnerability, perceived severity, self-efficacy, perceptions of indoor and outdoor air quality, and contextual cues to action relate to behavioural changes aimed at improving indoor air quality. It also assessed whether these factors predicted behaviour change over time, and explored patterns across various household behaviours, such as cooking, cleaning, heating, smoking, personal care, home fragrance use, window opening, and air purifier use. Results show that self-efficacy, perceived severity, perceptions of indoor and outdoor air quality, and cues to action were significantly associated with behaviour change, while perceived vulnerability was not. Notably, the influence of self-efficacy on behaviour increased over time, underscoring its role in sustaining long-term change. Visible cues, such as mould and damp, emerged as strong contextual triggers for action. Among the behaviours assessed, changes were most frequently reported in window opening, cooking, and cleaning, although a clear increase in change over time was only observed for cooking and heating. These findings suggest that a participatory approach can be effective in promoting healthier indoor environments in vulnerable communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Building & Environment is the property of Pergamon Press - An Imprint of Elsevier Science and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.buildenv.2025.114089
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 1
        StartPage: N.PAG
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Indoor air quality
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Environmental indicators
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self-efficacy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Participant observation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Health Belief Model
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Behavior modification
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Poor communities
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Longitudinal method
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: London (England)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Psychological and contextual drivers of indoor air quality behaviours in a deprived urban community: Evidence from participatory research.
        Type: main
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            NameFull: Tirotto, Francesca Ausilia
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            NameFull: Varaden, Diana
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            NameFull: Kelly, Frank J
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          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 02
              Text: Feb2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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              Value: 03601323
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              Value: 289
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            – TitleFull: Building & Environment
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