Conceptualizations of climate-related health risks among health experts and the public in Ghana

Hussey, Lucia Kafui; Arku, Godwin

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2019.01.026

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…In line with several other global studies on this topic, perceptions and beliefs about health impacts of climate change were shaped by personal experiences and direct observations [28, 30-32]. This could potentially explain why participants deemed common and easily observed climate risks and health impacts, such as agriculture and vector borne diseases, greater than others, such as CVD impacts.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

“…This included downstream effects of agricultural impacts on health through food systems, as was also seen in other multi stakeholder studies from other settings, pointing to the interlinked nature of climate impacts [14,32,33]. As was also discussed by participants as an indirect impact of climate change, reduced agricultural yield due to climate change has been linked to loss of work hours, which in turn can potentially lead to sedentary lifestyles, causing further risk of ill health and malnutrition [41,42].…”

Section: Systems Knowledgementioning

confidence: 72%

“…This could potentially explain why participants deemed common and easily observed climate risks and health impacts, such as agriculture and vector borne diseases, greater than others, such as CVD impacts. Vector borne diseases are commonly considered to be highly climate-sensitive, partially due to their explicit nature and monsoon climate, which fosters stagnant water [32, 33]. There have also been reports of increased flooding along the eastern coast of India in recent times [29, 34, 35].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Climate change and health?”: Knowledge and perceptions among key stakeholders in Puducherry, India

Shrikhande

Merten

Cambaco

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Introduction Climate change has far-reaching impacts on human health, which often differ by contextual vulnerabilities and region, with low- and middle income-countries being particularly vulnerable. Recognizing this, India has launched regional climate change and health action plans, the development, strengthening and implementation of which partially depends on how well stakeholders understand the topic. As little is known about this topic, our study aimed to better understand the knowledge and perceptions on the impacts of climate change on health amongst key stakeholders in Puducherry, India. Methods We conducted a qualitative study employing key informant interviews with medical doctors, researchers, environmentalists and governmental officials working on the climate change agenda from Puducherry. A total of 16 interviews were conducted. Half of the participants were practicing medical doctors while the other half consisted of medical researchers and government officials. The findings were analysed using the framework method, which allowed for data driven thematic analysis. Results We elucidated that despite elaborating the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on health, there is insufficient education and knowledge about the topic among participants. Knowledge of the public health burden and vulnerabilities influenced the perceived health risks from climate change, with some level of scepticism on the impacts on non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. There was also a felt need for multi-level awareness and intervention programs targeting all societal levels along with recommendations for educational changes and adaptation measures in the region. Conclusion This study identified a gap in the knowledge and understanding of health impacts of climate change among key stakeholders in Puducherry. It also identified region specific vulnerabilities that can be taken into consideration for strengthening the regions climate change and health adaptation policy. In light of limited research on this topic, especially in a developing settings, our study lends to an improved understanding of how key stakeholders perceive the impacts of climate change on health.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

Section: Systems Knowledgementioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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“Climate change and health?”: Knowledge and perceptions among key stakeholders in Puducherry, India

Shrikhande

Merten

Cambaco

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…Health system vulnerabilities are already being seen in Puducherry and active knowledge of such policies can also be utilized by relevant stakeholders to develop resilience focused interventions. This includes communicating the severity of the problem to the policy makers, who generally lack the political will to divert resources to non-apparent problems, alluded to by the participants in this study [36, 37].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to climate change and health research in India: A qualitative study

Shrikhande

Merten

Cambaco

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Almost a quarter of the global burden of disease and mortalities is attributable to environmental causes, the magnitude of which is projected to increase in the near future. Evidence informed policies and interventions are a key element in the adaptation response for countries. However, in many low- and middle-income settings, there remains a large gap in the synthesis of evidence on climate-sensitive health outcomes. In India, now the worlds most populous country, little remains known about the impacts of climate change on various health outcomes. In light of Indias vulnerability to climate change, the growing population and the high burden of disease, it is imperative to understand the challenges faced in conducting environmental health research. In this study, we employed key informant interviews to understand the perceived research barriers amongst health professionals, including medical researchers, and professionals involved in environmental policies and planning in Puducherry, India. The findings were analysed using data driven qualitative thematic analysis to elaborate the major perceived barriers to conducting environmental health research. Challenges in data collection systems and accessing data was the major barrier along with the need for strengthening technical and methodological research capacity. Participants described working in the backdrop of insufficient prioritization and knowledge on the wide range of impacts of climate change on health, both in the policy context and amongst scientists, which was also perceived to be a challenge in conducting environmental health research. Finally, limited resources to conduct research and the tendency to focus on conventional climate related health outcomes were also seen as challenges to advancing research on this topic. In the context of the paucity of data on environmental health from India, despite recognised climate change related health vulnerabilities, these findings could contribute to the development and improvement of interventions conducive to a strong research environment.

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“…The complex terminology used in describing climate change may not be accessible to many school learners. This is a challenging topic for learners as a range of complex climate change narratives are being presented by multiple actors, including the fossil fuel industry (Creamer Media’s Mining Weekly 2021 ; Hathaway & Maibach 2018 ; Hussey & Arku 2019 ). The school curriculum in South Africa does little to address these complexities (Department of Basic Education Republic of South Africa 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences in secondary school learners in South Africa

Kutywayo

Chersich

Naidoo

et al. 2022

Jàmbá

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Climate change poses a major threat to the future of today’s youth. Globally, young people are at the forefront of climate change activism. Their ability to engage, however, depends on the level of knowledge of climate change and concern about the topic. We sought to examine levels of knowledge and concerns about climate change among youth in South Africa, and their experiences of heat exposure. Ten questions on climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences were nested within a cross-sectional survey conducted in a cluster randomised trial among 924 secondary school learners in 14 public schools in low-income Western Cape areas. Learners’ mean age was 15.8 years and they were predominately female. While 72.0% of respondents knew that climate change leads to higher temperatures, only 59.7% agreed that human activity is responsible for climate change, and 58.0% believed that climate change affects human health. Two thirds (68.7%) said that climate change is a serious issue and 65.9% indicated action is needed for prevention. Few learners indicated climate change events had affected them, although many reported difficulties concentrating during hot weather (72.9%). Female learners had lower knowledge levels than male learners, but more frequent heat-related symptoms. Learners scoring high on knowledge questions expressed the most concern about climate change and had the highest heat impacts. Many youth seem unaware that climate change threatens their future. Heat-related symptoms are common, likely undermining educational performance, especially as temperatures escalate. More is needed to mainstream climate change into South African school curricula.

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Conceptualizations of climate-related health risks among health experts and the public in Ghana

Cited by 22 publications

References 43 publications

“Climate change and health?”: Knowledge and perceptions among key stakeholders in Puducherry, India

“Climate change and health?”: Knowledge and perceptions among key stakeholders in Puducherry, India

Barriers to climate change and health research in India: A qualitative study

Climate change knowledge, concerns and experiences in secondary school learners in South Africa

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