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Parents’ concerns about endocrine disruptors in perinatal health

Coralie LOUBARESSE, Méryl MEAR Sebastien LERUSTE and Jessica DUMEZ

Endocrine disruptors represent an emerging risk to human health. The perceived lack of knowledge, contradictory research findings, and the absence of official recommendations hinder the dissemination of information to patients. The perinatal period constitutes a phase of significant vulnerability; however, parents' knowledge regarding these risks remains limitedThe objective of this study was to gather information on parents' experiences with these risks and their specific expectations.A qualitative, phenomenological study was conducted through open-ended individual interviews between June 2023 and February 2024, until data saturation was reached.Controversies surrounding healthy lifestyles abound, and current practices are not always appropriate. Parental responsibilities often lead to learning from media sources, which are frequently questionable. For greater reliability and independence, there needs to be less medical discretion and more efforts to combat misinformation, disinformation, and conflicts of interest. Information dissemination must be tailored to individual needs, and free will must be respected, as many obstacles to change exist.The lack of pre-existing studies and the recent emergence of endocrine disruptors in the news make this work unique. Despite likely biases in self-reporting, selection, and interpretation (lack of data triangulation), this study is consistent with the existing literature. Endocrine disruptors remain poorly understood but are intuitively perceived by parents. Access to reliable, supportive, and unbiased information is sought. Research on other populations or in other areas of environmental health would be beneficial. It would also be relevant to study how patients use digital tools—the internet, social media, artificial intelligence—in their information searches and knowledge construction.This study, conducted in La Réunion, is innovative and consistent with the literature. Endocrine disruptors are still relatively unknown, but parents are intuitively aware of them. Access to reliable, benevolent and unbiased information is essential. Researching other populations or areas of environmental health would be useful.