Climate Change Influence on Health Domains, a Public Perception from a District in South India – A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

The effects of climate change have been evident throughout all domains of health such as physical, social, environmental, and mental. However, the lack of perception made it a grey topic among the public. The aim of the study was to determine the perception of climate change on physical, environmental, and mental domains of health and to find the association between the physical, environmental, and mental effects of climate change and its basic characteristics. This study was conducted in a cross-sectional design among the general population above 30 years in the field practice area [urban and rural] of tertiary care hospital Perambalur for a period of three months. The data were collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and the interviewer method, which includes sociodemographic characteristics along with questions on the perception of climate change effects on mental, physical, and environmental aspects. The regression models were used to analyze the odds of perception among the subjects with respect to the various domains of characteristics. The study included 877 participants, where the majority of subjects perceived the effects of climate change on physical, mental, and environmental domains of health. The odds of having a higher perception were significant in regression analysis among people with higher/school education, agriculture occupation, and rural residence (P < 0.05). Most of the study participants had an increased perception of climate change effects, making the subjects better candidates to impart adaptive strategies. Community-based programs have to be promoted to develop better comprehension and factual perception of climate change.