Specifications include, but are not limited to: The Vermont Department of Health (Department), Environmental Health Division is seeking proposals to document and describe the current state of the knowledge and perceptions of recreational water users in Vermont surrounding cyanobacteria and the potential risk they pose to health. We expect the project to include the development of a plan for how public understanding and perception of health risks associated with cyanobacteria exposure will be assessed. We expect the project to include the development of a data collection instrument to assess Vermont recreational water users’ understanding and perception of health risks associated with cyanobacteria exposure. Appropriate techniques may include polling, surveys, interviews, focus groups, or other methods to address the need. We expect this may result in both quantitative and qualitative data. We expect the project to reach a wide range of potential recreational water users in Vermont, including those that would use Vermont bodies of water to swim, wade, boat, fish, etc. We expect the project to involve data collection about Vermonters’ knowledge and perceptions of cyanobacteria, their health effects, and appropriate behaviors to use around cyanobacteria. We expect the project outcome to include findings of Vermonters’ knowledge and perceptions of cyanobacteria, their health effects, and appropriate behaviors to use around cyanobacteria. We expect the project findings to be generalizable to a wide range of potential recreational water users in Vermont. We expect the project outcome to identify knowledge gaps and misperceptions, both generally as well as among specific demographics, surrounding cyanobacteria in the potential recreational water users in Vermont. We expect the project to include a critical review of the Department’s current cyanobacteria outreach materials.
