Developing and evaluating “paraben-free & me”: an educational toolkit that targets parabens exposure reduction from personal care products

Women use approximately 13 personal care products (PCPs) daily, exposing them to 114 harmful chemicals, such as parabens, every day. Found in cosmetics and hair products, parabens are linked to increased risks of breast cancer and endocrine disorders. Despite these risks, awareness and risk perceptions about parabens remain low among women. Educational toolkits have the potential to effectively raise awareness and promote positive behaviours regarding environmental health risks. This study aims to create an evidence-informed digital educational toolkit to reduce women's paraben exposure. The research includes three phases: (1) a systematic review identifying the characteristics of existing toolkits and the data collection methods to evaluate them; (2) developing the toolkit using the IDEAS framework and the Health Belief Model; and (3) evaluating the toolkit's effectiveness through a four-week randomized controlled trial among female students in Ontario. Outcomes assessed will include participants’ knowledge, risk perception, beliefs, and paraben-free behaviours.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Health Sciences (MHSc)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Community, Public and Population Health

Grantor

University of Ontario Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• De Michino, Graziella

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Barakat, Caroline

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10155/1959

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ontariotechu.scholaris.ca:10155/1959