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Effect of Climate Change Awareness on Heat-Health Protection Practices among Outdoor Workers in Nigeria

Abstract

Climate change is increasingly recognized as an important public health and occupational health concern because rising temperatures and more frequent or intense periods of extreme heat can increase the risk of heat-related illness, particularly among individuals who work outdoors. Outdoor workers may be exposed to high environmental temperatures for prolonged periods while performing physically demanding activities, increasing their vulnerability to heat exhaustion, heat cramps, heat syncope, dehydration, and heat stroke. Climate change awareness refers to an individual's knowledge and understanding of climate change, its causes, effects, associated health risks, and appropriate measures for reducing vulnerability to climate-related hazards. Heat-health protection practices refer to preventive behaviours adopted by individuals to reduce exposure to excessive heat and protect themselves from heat-related health problems. Such practices may include adequate water consumption, regular rest breaks, use of protective clothing, seeking shade, adjusting work schedules during periods of extreme heat, monitoring heat conditions, recognizing symptoms of heat-related illness, and seeking medical attention when necessary. In Nigeria, outdoor workers such as construction workers, farmers, street traders, transport workers, waste-management workers, security personnel, and other occupational groups may experience substantial heat exposure. However, limited awareness of climate-related health risks and inadequate adoption of protective practices may increase occupational vulnerability to heat-related illness. Improving climate change awareness may encourage workers to recognize heat-related risks and adopt appropriate protective behaviours. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of climate change awareness on heat-health protection practices among outdoor workers in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Protection Motivation Theory, and Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Framework. The Health Belief Model explains how individuals' perceptions of susceptibility to heat-related illness, severity of its consequences, benefits of protective actions, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their adoption of heat-health protection practices. Protection Motivation Theory explains how perceived threats and coping responses influence individuals' motivation to adopt protective behaviours in response to environmental and health hazards. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice Framework provides a basis for examining how awareness and understanding of climate change and heat-related health risks may influence protective practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how climate change awareness may influence heat-health protection practices among outdoor workers in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative cross-sectional research design. Primary data will be collected from outdoor workers in selected Nigerian communities using structured interviewer-administered questionnaires and, where feasible, observational checklists. A multistage sampling technique will be employed to select states, local government areas, communities, workplaces, and eligible outdoor workers. Climate change awareness will be assessed using indicators such as knowledge of the meaning and causes of climate change, awareness of rising temperatures, understanding of heat-related health risks, knowledge of vulnerable populations, awareness of heat-health warning signs, knowledge of the relationship between extreme heat and health, awareness of heat-risk reduction measures, and knowledge of occupational heat exposure. Heat-health protection practices will be assessed using indicators such as frequency of water consumption during work, use of rest breaks, access to and use of shaded areas, use of appropriate protective clothing, adjustment of work schedules during periods of high temperature, avoidance of unnecessary heat exposure, monitoring of weather or heat conditions, recognition of symptoms of heat-related illness, use of cooling measures, and timely seeking of healthcare when experiencing heat-related symptoms. Where feasible, observational assessments will be used to complement self-reported practices. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' characteristics, levels of climate change awareness, and heat-health protection practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the effect of climate change awareness on heat-health protection practices. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of research instruments, model assumptions, goodness of fit, multicollinearity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that higher levels of climate change awareness have a significant positive effect on heat-health protection practices among outdoor workers in Nigeria. Workers with greater understanding of climate change and heat-related health risks are expected to demonstrate more consistent use of preventive measures such as drinking sufficient water, taking regular rest breaks, seeking shade, adjusting work schedules, recognizing symptoms of heat-related illness, and seeking timely medical care. Increased awareness may also improve workers' ability to recognize periods of elevated heat risk and take appropriate preventive action before serious illness occurs. Conversely, workers with limited climate change awareness may underestimate the health risks associated with prolonged heat exposure and may be less likely to adopt appropriate protective practices. However, awareness alone may not fully determine protective behaviour because workplace conditions, availability of drinking water and shade, employer policies, economic pressures, workload, access to protective equipment, occupational culture, and the ability to modify working hours may also influence heat-health practices. Therefore, climate change education should be combined with supportive workplace and occupational-health measures. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on climate change awareness, heat-health protection, occupational health, environmental health, climate-related health risks, health education, and public health in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the relationship between climate-health knowledge and protective practices among outdoor workers. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Environment, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, state ministries of health, occupational health authorities, employers, trade and workers' organizations, environmental health professionals, public-health educators, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for reducing occupational heat-related health risks. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for strengthening climate-health education, developing heat-health awareness programmes, promoting workplace heat-risk assessments, improving access to drinking water and shaded rest areas, encouraging appropriate work-rest schedules, establishing occupational heat-safety guidelines, improving early recognition of heat-related illness, and integrating climate change considerations into occupational and public health programmes for outdoor workers in Nigeria.

Keywords: Climate change awareness, heat-health protection practices, outdoor workers, Nigeria, occupational health, environmental health, heat exposure, heat-related illness, climate-health, health education, workplace health, public health.