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Effect of Climate Change Health Education on Climate-Related Health Preparedness among Urban Residents in Nigeria

Abstract

Climate change is an increasing public health concern in Nigeria because rising temperatures, heat events, flooding, changing rainfall patterns, air pollution, and other climate-related environmental changes may affect human health. Urban residents may be particularly vulnerable because of population density, urban heat-island effects, inadequate drainage, flooding, air pollution, limited green spaces, and unequal access to healthcare and emergency services. Climate-related hazards may contribute to heat-related illness, respiratory problems, injuries, waterborne diseases, vector-borne diseases, food insecurity, and other health risks. Despite these challenges, some urban residents may have limited knowledge of climate-related health risks and appropriate preparedness measures. Climate change health education provides an opportunity to improve awareness of climate-related hazards, early warning information, household preparedness, protective behaviours, and appropriate healthcare-seeking. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of climate change health education on climate-related health preparedness among urban residents in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Protection Motivation Theory, and Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how residents' perceptions of susceptibility to climate-related health problems, perceived severity, perceived benefits of preparedness, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence preparedness behaviours. Protection Motivation Theory emphasizes perceived threat, response efficacy, self-efficacy, and perceived response costs in motivating individuals to adopt protective actions against climate-related health hazards. The Social Ecological Model emphasizes the influence of individual, household, community, environmental, healthcare, and policy factors on climate-related health preparedness. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how climate change health education may influence climate-related health preparedness among urban residents in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise adults aged 18 years and above residing in selected urban communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, urban centres, local government areas, communities, neighbourhoods, households, and eligible residents. Climate change health education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to educational sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of climate-related health hazards, information on heat-related illness, flooding and injury risks, waterborne and vector-borne diseases, air-pollution risks, emergency preparedness, early warning systems, household protective measures, vulnerable populations, appropriate healthcare-seeking, community preparedness, and practical demonstrations. Climate-related health preparedness will be assessed using indicators such as availability of household emergency plans, access to reliable early warning information, knowledge of heat-illness prevention, availability of drinking water during heat events, appropriate responses to flooding, preparation of emergency supplies, identification of safe locations during climate-related emergencies, protection of vulnerable household members, knowledge of healthcare and emergency contacts, measures for reducing heat exposure, appropriate water and food safety practices following flooding, and participation in community preparedness activities. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, standardized climate-health knowledge and preparedness assessment tools, household observation checklists, community preparedness records, and relevant environmental and public health programme documents. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize residents' characteristics, climate-related health knowledge, exposure to education, household preparedness, and protective practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of climate change health education on climate-related health preparedness. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, preparedness scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that climate change health education has a significant positive effect on climate-related health preparedness among urban residents in Nigeria. Residents exposed to structured and practical climate-health education are expected to demonstrate greater knowledge of climate-related health risks and stronger preparedness practices than residents without comparable exposure. Education may improve residents' understanding of heat-related illness, flooding, waterborne and vector-borne diseases, air-pollution risks, and other climate-sensitive health problems. It may encourage residents to monitor early warnings, maintain emergency supplies, prepare for extreme heat, protect vulnerable household members, adopt appropriate water and food safety measures, and seek healthcare promptly when climate-related health problems occur. Practical education may also improve residents' confidence in responding to climate-related emergencies and participating in community preparedness activities. However, inadequate infrastructure, poor drainage, unreliable access to early warning information, poverty, overcrowded housing, limited emergency services, inadequate healthcare access, and low community-level preparedness may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, locally relevant, and continuous climate change health education, supported by effective early warning systems and resilient urban infrastructure, to contribute significantly to improved climate-related health preparedness among urban residents in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on climate change and health, climate-related health preparedness, environmental health, disaster preparedness, urban health, health education, climate resilience, emergency preparedness, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Environment, National Emergency Management Agency, state emergency management agencies, state ministries of health and environment, local government authorities, environmental health officers, urban planners, public health practitioners, community health workers, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening climate-resilient health systems and communities. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating climate-health education into community health programmes, strengthening public access to climate-related health information and early warnings, improving household preparedness, protecting vulnerable populations, strengthening community emergency-response capacity, and promoting climate-resilient urban health planning across Nigeria.

Keywords: Climate change health education, climate-related health preparedness, climate change and health, urban residents, climate resilience, environmental health, disaster preparedness, health education, emergency preparedness, Nigeria, public health.