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Impact of Climate Change Health Education on Climate-Related Health Prevention Practices among Urban Residents in Nigeria

Abstract

Climate change is an increasingly important public health concern in Nigeria, particularly in urban communities where population growth, environmental pollution, inadequate waste management, flooding, heat exposure, and changing weather patterns may increase vulnerability to climate-related health risks. Urban residents may be exposed to extreme heat, flooding, air pollution, water contamination, food insecurity, and changing patterns of infectious diseases, which may negatively affect individual and community health. Limited awareness of the health consequences of climate change and inadequate knowledge of preventive measures may reduce residents' ability to protect themselves and their families from these risks. Climate change health education provides an opportunity to improve residents' understanding of climate-related health hazards and promote practical preventive behaviours such as heat protection, safe water practices, environmental sanitation, flood preparedness, air pollution reduction, and appropriate use of health services. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of climate change health education on climate-related health prevention practices among urban residents in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Social Ecological Model. The Health Belief Model explains how residents' perceptions of susceptibility to climate-related health risks, perceived severity, perceived benefits of preventive practices, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their health behaviours. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes knowledge, self-efficacy, observational learning, behavioural skills, and environmental influences in the adoption of climate-related health prevention practices. The Social Ecological Model recognizes the interaction of individual, household, community, environmental, institutional, and policy factors in shaping climate-related health behaviours. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how climate change health education may influence climate-related health prevention practices among urban residents in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. The study population will comprise adult residents living in selected urban communities across Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select states, urban local government areas, communities, households, and eligible residents. Climate change health education will be measured using indicators such as exposure to structured educational sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of climate change and health, awareness of heat-related illnesses, flood-related health risks, air pollution, waterborne diseases, vector-borne diseases, food safety risks, emergency preparedness, environmental sanitation, and information on available health and emergency services. Climate-related health prevention practices will be assessed using indicators such as use of protective measures during extreme heat, adequate hydration, heat avoidance, flood preparedness, safe water storage and treatment, environmental sanitation, waste management, mosquito-control practices, food safety practices, reduction of exposure to air pollution, use of protective equipment where appropriate, early health-seeking during climate-related illness, and household emergency preparedness. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, validated climate and health knowledge assessment tools, prevention-practice instruments, and relevant community programme records. Prevention practices will be assessed before and after exposure to the climate change health education intervention. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize residents' demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental characteristics, levels of climate-health knowledge, and prevention practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including paired sample tests, independent sample tests, chi-square tests, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the impact of climate change health education on climate-related health prevention practices. 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 impact on climate-related health prevention practices among urban residents in Nigeria. Residents exposed to structured and evidence-based climate change health education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of climate-related health risks and greater adoption of preventive practices compared with their baseline practices or residents without similar educational exposure. Education on heat protection, safe water practices, flood preparedness, environmental sanitation, food safety, vector control, air pollution, and early health-seeking may strengthen residents' ability to protect themselves and their households from climate-related health threats. Community-based education may also improve awareness of available emergency and healthcare services and encourage collective environmental health practices. However, poverty, inadequate housing, poor drainage, unreliable water supply, environmental pollution, limited access to healthcare, insufficient waste-management infrastructure, and other structural factors may limit residents' ability to translate knowledge into preventive practices. The study therefore expects accessible, culturally appropriate, community-based, and sustained climate change health education to contribute significantly to improved climate-related health prevention practices among urban residents in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on climate change health education, climate-related health prevention practices, urban residents, environmental health, climate and health, health promotion, disaster preparedness, community health, public health education, and climate resilience in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Environment, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, state ministries of health and environment, local government authorities, urban health departments, environmental health officers, community health workers, non-governmental organizations, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for strengthening climate-related health preparedness. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating climate-health education into urban health programmes, strengthening community preparedness for extreme weather events, improving environmental health infrastructure, expanding climate-health communication, training community health personnel, and developing sustainable climate-resilient public health initiatives across Nigerian cities.

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