Environmental Health Noncompliance

About the Book

Sanitarians often wonder about the effectiveness of their site evaluations, whether or not the client listens and why noncompliance persists. Their academic training emphasizes a three-pronged approach (education, consultation and enforcement) toward the analysis and abatement of sanitation concerns; socio-economic factors, however, emphasize the use of legal means to gain compliance. Enforcement and legal actions push most clients toward short-term compliance; all too often, however, a roller-coaster effect occurs, where noncompliance occurs again and again. Why? This book analyzes the reasons, looking at ways to integrate health behavior models with the existing system to design more effective intervention strategies. Education, consultation and enforcement are melded to produce a more comprehensive approach to site evaluations. Community networking is advanced as an important support system often underutilized by health agencies. In the process, sanitarians are offered suggestions for using these ideas during their site visits.

About the Author

David Mikkola is a registered sanitarian in the State of Michigan. He worked for 31 years for two Michigan public health departments, primarily inspecting restaurants and swimming pools but also working in environmental health education. His education includes an A.B in Secondary School Education., a B.S.in Environmental Health and an M.P.H. in Health Education. It was during his graduate studies that he became interested in alternative explanations for environmental noncompliance, why people do not accept the sanitarian's inspection results, in spite of legal enforcement. The inspection system in use appeared to resort too quickly to the use of enforcement measures when some clients seemed amenable to education and persuasion. Health behavior concepts and models supported the need for a new appraoch . From this interest evolved this article about a new system for conducting environmental assessments, a new explanation for noncompliance. David currently works as an environmental consultant and lives in south-eastern Michigan.