This project is focused on understanding the long-term impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on children in the Gulf Coast region. We have conducted three phases to date:
In the weeks following the April 2010 explosion, we spoke to parents at Town Hall meetings in Louisiana and Mississippi.
In July 2010 we interviewed 1,200 parents who lived within ten miles of the water. At the time, parents were very concerned about the potential long-term health impacts of the spill.
Between April and October, 2012, with funding from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, we launched a four state study to answer two overarching questions: (1) Where are the communities whose children have had the greatest health problems since the oil spill? (2) What factors contributed to these health problems? This phase had two elements to it – a household survey, and a “community engagement” effort.
The Programmatic Initiative – NCDP has launched Project SHOREline to develop and promote Skills, Hope, Opportunities, Research, and Engagement among Gulf Coast youth. This program will employ focus groups of juniors and seniors at high schools in five highly impacted communities identified during the household survey. NCDP will work with these students and local advisory groups to assess the health and well-being of students at those schools, to gauge the broader needs of children and youth in those five communities, and to design, implement, and evaluate school-based or community-based solutions.
View the project timeline for the full story and access to more information.
