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During the congress, E-Posters will be accessible to all participants on the congress website 24/7, as well as in the E-poster stations in the congress center.
Preparing your E-Poster
Please review the E-Poster format requirements carefully when preparing your E-Poster. Should your E-Poster not meet the mentioned requirements, it may not be displayed as described above.
E-Poster Submission Deadline
Please prepare and upload your E-Poster no later than March 14, 2026 11.59PM CET. After this date, you will no longer be able to prepare and upload your E-poster and it will not be displayed and accessible on the congress website.
Please follow the instructions below to input your abstract title.
Abstract titles should be brief and reflect the content of the abstract.
The persistence of air pollution and its health effects in developing countries is concerning. At least five of the UN Sustainable Developmental Goals (2, 3, 10, 11, 13 and 15) cannot be achieved without effective air pollution control and mitigation. Air pollution attributable deaths exceeds 4 million annually and is highest in low- and middle-income countries. Air pollution has been associated with multiple NCDs, including CKD, however, studies have reported poor awareness and knowledge of air pollution and its health effects in vulnerable communities in LMIC.
The aim of this study is to explore the perception of air pollution and associated kidney health risks among people residing near petrochemical industries (exposed) compared with a less exposed community.
Five moderated focus groups held in each community. Participants were adults who had resided for at least five years in the respective communities. All discussions were audio-recorded and transcribed. Reflexive thematic analysis was done aided by the NVivo qualitative data software.
Twenty-five adults adults age 20-72 years participated in the exposed community. There were 15 Males and 10 Females; 13 were married and16 self-employed. All participants had at least secondary level of education. Nineteen out of 25 participants perceived their outdoor air as ‘poor’ or ’very poor’ based on a short survey pre-focus group survey. They described the outdoor air described as scorching, choking and unhealthy. Air pollution perception was influenced by proximity to the industries, age and duration of residence.
Overall, the participants were aware that air pollution is associated with health effects but had little knowledge of specific health effects. They were not aware of the association between air pollution and kidney diseases. Their concern for the SDOH (including general access to health care) appear to crowd-out the concern for air pollution health effects. The persistence of air pollution in their community was considered a sociopolitical problem that required a courageous leader, unity among community social groups before government engagement.
In the less exposed community, agricultural activities were responsible for air pollution. They suggested the need for the government to provide alternative spaces for palm production and to regulate felling of trees. Some participants feared that addressing the problem might threaten their source of livelihood. Notably, the participants hardly suggested positive individual or collective behavioural changes to mitigate air pollution and improve environmental health.
Public knowledge of specific air pollution health effects is lacking and awareness about air pollution-associated kidney disease is almost non-existent. Sociopolitical factors are a threat to the control of air pollution and its effects in communities near industries. Context-specific air pollution health education in vulnerable populations may empower the public to advocate for cleaner air. Public inclusion and multidisciplinary partnerships are needed to achievable sustainable environmental health.
