CLIMATE CHANGE AS A PUBLIC HEALTH ISSUE: AWARENESS, ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH BEHAVIORS, AND PERCEPTIONS OF ITS EFFECTS ON RESPIRATORY, CARDIOVASCULAR, AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS
Main Article Content
Keywords
Climate change, Public health, Healthcare professionals, Climate-health awareness, Environmental health behavior, Respiratory diseases, Cardiovascular diseases, Infectious diseases, Sustainable healthcare, Climate-resilient healthcare
Abstract
Background: Climate change is an emerging public health challenge with important consequences for respiratory, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. Healthcare professionals play a critical role in recognizing climate-related health risks, promoting preventive measures, and supporting environmentally sustainable healthcare practices. However, gaps may exist between awareness, perceptions, and actual environmental health behaviors.
Objectives: To assess healthcare professionals’ awareness of climate change as a public health issue, determine their perceptions regarding its effects on respiratory, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases, evaluate environmental health behaviors, identify perceived barriers to climate-related healthcare practices, and examine associations between demographic/professional characteristics, awareness, perceptions, and environmental behaviors.
Methodology: A hospital-based cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Dow University Hospital among 300 healthcare professionals recruited through non-probability consecutive sampling. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire assessing demographic and professional characteristics, climate-change awareness, perceptions of climate-related health effects, and environmental health behaviors. Awareness was categorized as good, moderate, or poor. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 22. Chi-square test, independent-samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multivariable logistic regression were applied, with statistical significance set at p<0.05.
Results: Among 300 healthcare professionals, 44.0% demonstrated good awareness, 41.3% moderate awareness, and 14.7% poor awareness, with a mean awareness score of 68.4±13.7%. Most participants recognized climate-related respiratory risks (91.3%), effects on cardiovascular health (81.0%), and altered vector-borne disease distribution (85.7%). Frequently reported environmental behaviors included appropriate healthcare waste segregation (79.0%), switching off unused electrical equipment (74.7%), and electronic documentation (73.7%), whereas counseling patients about climate-related health risks (34.3%) and participation in institutional environmental initiatives (30.3%) were less common. Awareness was positively correlated with perceptions (r=0.52, p<0.001) and environmental health behaviors (r=0.39, p<0.001). Previous climate-health education was the strongest independent predictor of good awareness (adjusted OR=2.84, 95% CI: 1.79–4.51, p<0.001). Lack of formal training was the most frequently reported barrier (62.0%).
Conclusion: Healthcare professionals demonstrated generally favorable recognition of climate change and its health consequences, but detailed awareness and translation of knowledge into environmental health practices remained suboptimal. Previous exposure to climate-health education was strongly associated with better awareness, while awareness and perceptions were positively related to sustainable behaviors. Integrating climate-change education into healthcare curricula and continuing professional development, together with institutional policies and practical sustainability initiatives, may strengthen climate-resilient healthcare practice.
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