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Target Audience for the TEACH Project

The goal of the TEACH project is to complement existing children's health information resources by providing a listing and summary of scientific literature applicable to children's health risks due to chemical exposure. The focal point of this children's health project is the TEACH Web site, which has two main components: 1) a searchable database that contains references from the relevant scientific literature pertaining to children's chemical exposure, and summarizes key points of that literature; and 2) TEACH Chemical Summaries (for all chemicals listed in the TEACH database) which condense essential points from the reference summaries provided in the TEACH database.

Primary Target Audience:

Key Characteristics:

Academically or professionally trained in environmental and health sciences; experienced in reading, analyzing, evaluating, and applying information from scientific publications; uses scientific information in professional, advisory, advocacy and/or decision-making capacity directly or closely related to that scientific field or function.

Example Groups:

Technical readers, professional scientists (research and applied), other trained environmental agency staff and managers, trained public health personnel, health care providers and medical personnel, advocates with scientific training.

Description:

This audience understands and is informed on issues related to chemical exposure to children. Most of these readers have some level of knowledge on risk assessment/toxicology and can use all components of the TEACH Web site to gather scientific information. The TEACH Web site will be used by this audience to gather information that will improve the assessment of human health risk and health impacts due to environmental contaminants as well as to improve prevention strategies.

Use of TEACH Information:

The technical nature of scientific information in the TEACH database increases the probability that it will be used primarily for background information on issues important to this audience. Future analyses of information in the database may help identify relevant data and information gaps, which may help prioritize research directions, and possibly assist in regulatory decision making.

Secondary Target Audience:

Key Characteristics:

May or not have formal training in environmental or health sciences; may or may not have working knowledge of risk assessment and toxicology; usually has less formal experience than primary audience with independently reading and extracting information from scientific publications; not likely to use or apply scientific information in a professional scientific field or capacity, but may wish to apply this information in other educational, advocacy, legal capacity, or for personal/family uses; a broad range of readers who want a current information source on specific chemical impacts on children's environmental health.

Example Groups:

Parents, policymakers working in non-science related fields or without scientific training, lawyers or legal advocates, nonscientist public interest advocates, the general public.

Description:

This audience represents a broad range of potential users with varying levels of experience and training in the environmental and health sciences. Unlike members of the Primary Audience, members of the Secondary Audience, in most cases, are not seeking information in TEACH for professional or occupational tasks or responsibilities, whether in the public, private, or not-for-profit sector, that directly relate to scientific decision-making (such as risk assessments, direct policy recommendations related to regulating involved chemicals, prioritizing or designing future study needs, environmental toxicology, or epidemiology). However, they may hold either professional, volunteer or community-based positions of responsibility or decision-making where children's environmental health information is desired to formulate organizational positions or actions. These can be well-informed partners or stakeholders who interact extensively with and have an impact on the Primary Audience. Members of this Secondary Audience also include individuals seeking information for more personal use such as addressing individual or family health risks/needs.

Use of TEACH Information:

The TEACH Chemical Summaries allow searches for exposure and toxicity information in a standardized "user friendly" format. Technical jargon is minimized and defined in TEACH Chemical Summaries in order to convey scientific information to a broader, non-technical audience.

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