Abstract
Researchers have published surveys on health professionals' perceptions of the possible association between climate change and health (climate-health) and assessed climate-health or planetary health curricula in medical schools. However, curricula on climate-health are still lacking and gaps in knowledge persist. To understand the state of climate-health curricula among health professions institutions internationally. A survey of 160 institutional members of the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, which includes international health professions schools and programs, was conducted from August 3, 2017, to March 1, 2018. The survey, hosted by Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, used an online survey tool for data collection. The survey assessed climate-health curricular offerings across health professions institutions internationally, including existing climate-health educational offerings, method of teaching climate-health education, whether institutions are considering adding climate-health education, whether institutions received a positive response to adding climate-health curricula and/or encountered challenges in adding curricula, and opportunities to advance climate-health education. Overall response rate to the survey was 53%, with 84 of 160 institutional responses collected; 59 of the responses (70%) were from schools/programs of public health, health sciences, or health professions; 15 (18%) were from medicine; 9 (11%) were from nursing; and 1 (1%) was from another type of health profession institution. Among respondents, 53 (63%) institutions offer climate-health education, most commonly as part of a required core course (41 [76%]). Sixty-one of 82 respondents (74%) reported that climate-health offerings are under discussion to add, 42 of 59 respondents (71%) encountered some challenges trying to institute the curriculum, and most respondents have received a positive response to adding content, mainly from students (39 of 58 [67%]), faculty (35 of 58 [60%]), and administration (23 of 58 [40%]). Current climate-health educational offerings appear to vary considerably among health professions institutions. Students, faculty, and administration are important groups to engage when instituting curricula, and awareness, support, and resources may be able to assist in this effort.
Highlights
Climate change appears to have both direct and indirect effects on human health, which may increase globally, and some populations may be affected more than others
Faculty, and administration are important groups to engage when instituting curricula, and awareness, support, and resources may be able to assist in this effort
Reviewed the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) reporting guidelines for survey studies and made efforts to devise clear questions of appropriate length that did not lead to bias; the team characterized nonresponders to check for the association between nonresponse bias and the validity of the findings
Summary
Climate change appears to have both direct and indirect effects on human health, which may increase globally, and some populations may be affected more than others. Curricula and educational programs on the topic of climate-health[3] (defined as the health consequences from anthropogenic climate change) are still lacking and gaps in knowledge persist. A survey conducted in 2018 and 2019 evaluated planetary health[4] (defined as a field focused on characterizing the human health factors associated with human-based disruptions of the earth’s natural systems) teachings in all 17 Canadian medical schools; results showed variation in coverage of planetary health topics from “minimal to no teaching, to some lecture-, case-, or project-based teaching.”[5] The researchers identified barriers to integrating the education, such as limited time in the busy medical curricula, and provided recommendations for adding content. Another research project searched the Curriculum Inventory database supported by the Association of American Medical Colleges for specific terms related to climate change and found that none of the medical schools in the database reported explicit inclusion of climate change education in their curriculum.[7,8]
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