5. Limitations
There are several limitations in this study. The data was
collected in the spring. There may have been seasonality effects
depending on the amount of air pollution experienced at different
times of the year. The results are self–reported so social
desirability may have affected answers.
6. Conclusions
Our study has clearly shown that current poor air quality has
been a major concern of public health in Nanchang. Nearly 97% of
respondents have shown their strong support for increased
funding and action to improve air quality. The large level of public
support could be used by the local government for the
development of stricter regulations for air quality in future. Given
that waste burning was considered to be a main source of air
pollution by a relatively large number of the respondents in this
study, which indicate the public has limited knowledge and
understanding on this issue since waste burning has not been
reported as one of the main sources of air pollution by local
government. Thus, the finding from this study suggests the need
for the government to improve the awareness of the main sources
of air pollution, especially to residents of rural areas with lower
levels of education, in order to more effectively and efficiently
control air pollution problem in Nanchang.