Early Childhood and Environmental Health “Petite ENfance et Santé Environnementale”
PENSE
“Petite ENfance et Santé Environnementale” (PENSE) project, implemented by HERA, is one of the first hospital-scale interventions in Lebanon targeting environmental exposures in the perinatal period benefiting a vulnerable group of the Lebanese populations: Pregnant women and their infants. PENSE project offers a guide dedicated to healthcare professionals to help them raise the awareness of pregnant women and new mothers on the precautionary measures to take, and the safe usage of chemical products while preserving their health and that of their fetus. The project aims to explore to what extent the awareness and training of perinatal health professionals as well as future mothers at the clinic and the hospital could lead to a change in the attitude and behavior of mothers during pregnancy and the first 1000 days of infancy. The PENSE project is currently piloted at Hotel Dieu de France University Hospital – Beirut. HERA’s multidisciplinary team developed a manual that explains the health risks associated with various indoor, especially household, environmental exposures and offers recommendations for safe use alternatives. To ensure the sustainability of the intervention, a group of midwives received a training of trainers (TOT) by HERA’s experts to incorporate the recommendations generated from this study into the antenatal lessons offered to prospective mothers. By investing in the healthy development of infants and the protection of the environment in which they grow up, we anticipate and prevent numerous types of chronic diseases and therefore reduce the subsequent costs of health services. PENSE project’s success will be a milestone in achieving a step toward improving public health and especially environmental health in Lebanon.
