Health literacy related to climate change: a communıty-based cross-sectional study
FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH, cilt.14, sa.2296-2565, ss.1-10, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 14 Sayı: 2296-2565
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1779499
- Dergi Adı: FRONTIERS IN PUBLIC HEALTH
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), MEDLINE, Psycinfo, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-10
- Açık Arşiv Koleksiyonu: AVESİS Açık Erişim Koleksiyonu
- Maltepe Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Introduction: Climate change poses health risks to populations, particularly
in socioeconomically disadvantaged urban communities with limited adaptive
capacity. However, evidence on climate change–related health literacy, defined
as individuals’ ability to access, understand, and use information on climaterelated health risks, remains limited. This study aimed to assess climate change–
related health literacy among adults living in a disadvantaged district of Istanbul
and to examine its association with selected demographic characteristics related
to vulnerability and adaptation.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between July
and September 2025 among adults aged 18–65 years registered with family physicians in Sultanbeyli, Istanbul. Using simple random sampling, 1,182 individuals were
contacted, and data from 441 participants were analyzed. Data were collected using
a demographic information form and the 24-item Climate Change Health Literacy
Scale. Independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used for analysis.
Results: The mean age of participants was 38.7 ± 12.1 years, and 53.3% were
female. Most participants (94.6%) had not received formal education on climate
change, and social media was the main source of information (65.1%). Only 21.8%
reported sufficient knowledge of climate change–related health impacts. The
mean total health literacy score was 94.4 ± 14.0, indicating a moderate level of
literacy. Higher scores were observed among women, individuals with higher
education, and those who regularly followed climate-related news (p < 0.05). No
significant differences were found by income or occupation.
Discussion: These findings reveal gaps between knowledge and the adoption of
protective behaviors in disadvantaged urban communities. Community-based
health education initiatives are essential to strengthen adaptive capacity.
KEYWORDS
climate change, community-based study, health literacy, public health, vulnerable
populations