Knowledge, Attitude, Risk Perception, and Health-Related Adaptive Behavior of Primary School Children towards Climate Change: A Cross-Sectional Study in China

Background: Children are disproportionately affected by climate change while evidence regarding their adaptive behavior and relevant influencing factors is limited. Objectives: We attempted to investigate health-related adaptive behavior towards climate change for primary school children in China and explore potential influencing factors. Methods: We conducted a survey of 8322 primary school children in 12 cities across China. Knowledge, attitude, risk perception, and adaptive behavior scores for children were collected using a designed questionnaire. Weather exposures of cities were collected from 2014 to 2018. We applied a multiple linear regression and mixed-effect regression to assess the influencing factors of adaptive behavior. We also used the structural equation model (SEM) to validate the theoretical framework of adaptive behavior. Results: Most children (76.1%) were aware of climate change. They mainly get information from television, smartphones, and the Internet. A 1 score increase in knowledge, attitude, and risk perception was associated with 0.210, 0.386, and 0.160 increase in adaptive behavior scores, respectively. Females and children having air conditioners or heating systems at home were positively associated with adaptive behavior. Exposure to cold and rainstorms increased the adaptive behavior scores, while heat exposure had the opposite effects. The SEM showed that knowledge was positively associated with attitude and risk perception. Knowledge, attitude, and risk perception corresponded to 31.6%, 22.8%, and 26.1% changes of adaptive behavior, respectively. Conclusion: Most primary school children in China were aware of climate change. Knowledge, attitude, risk perception, cold, and rainstorm exposure were positively associated with health-related adaptive behavior towards climate change.

[1]  P. Bi,et al.  Effectiveness Evaluation of a Primary School-Based Intervention against Heatwaves in China , 2022, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[2]  H. Canton.  International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies , 2021, The Europa Directory of International Organizations 2021.

[3]  Yu Wang,et al.  Association of heat exposure and emergency ambulance calls: A multi-city study , 2021, Advances in Climate Change Research.

[4]  J. O’Dwyer,et al.  Planning for the health impacts of climate change: Flooding, private groundwater contamination and waterborne infection - A cross-sectional study of risk perception, experience and behaviours in the Republic of Ireland. , 2021, Environmental research.

[5]  M. Maslin,et al.  The 2020 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to converging crises , 2020, The Lancet.

[6]  U. Haque,et al.  Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices on Climate Change and Dengue in Lao People's Democratic Republic and Thailand. , 2020, Environmental research.

[7]  S. Tong,et al.  High temperatures and emergency department visits in 18 sites with different climatic characteristics in China: Risk assessment and attributable fraction identification. , 2020, Environment international.

[8]  Tai-Yi Yu,et al.  Risk perception and response toward climate change for higher education students in Taiwan , 2020, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[9]  L. Anderko,et al.  Climate changes reproductive and children’s health: a review of risks, exposures, and impacts , 2019, Pediatric Research.

[10]  Yung-Jaan Lee,et al.  Attitudes to climate change, perceptions of disaster risk, and mitigation and adaptation behavior in Yunlin County, Taiwan , 2019, Environmental Science and Pollution Research.

[11]  M. N. Peterson,et al.  Children can foster climate change concern among their parents , 2019, Nature Climate Change.

[12]  Tiantian Li,et al.  Health-risk perception and its mediating effect on protective behavioral adaptation to heat waves. , 2019, Environmental research.

[13]  J. Oosthuizen,et al.  Perceptions of climate change and occupational heat stress risks and adaptation strategies of mining workers in Ghana. , 2019, The Science of the total environment.

[14]  J. Arblaster,et al.  Geographic, Demographic, and Temporal Variations in the Association between Heat Exposure and Hospitalization in Brazil: A Nationwide Study between 2000 and 2015 , 2019, Environmental health perspectives.

[15]  H. Bondell,et al.  Developing a model of climate change behavior among adolescents , 2018, Climatic Change.

[16]  Ziqiang Han,et al.  Climate Change Risk Perception in Taiwan: Correlation with Individual and Societal Factors , 2018, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[17]  R. Yousefpour,et al.  How do people's perceptions and climatic disaster experiences influence their daily behaviors regarding adaptation to climate change? - A case study among young generations. , 2017, The Science of the total environment.

[18]  Yun Zhao,et al.  A Cross-Sectional Study of Heat Wave-Related Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among the Public in the Licheng District of Jinan City, China , 2016, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[19]  Kyle W. Knight.  Public awareness and perception of climate change: a quantitative cross-national study , 2016 .

[20]  David M. Konisky,et al.  Extreme weather events and climate change concern , 2015, Climatic Change.

[21]  Tien-ming Lee,et al.  Predictors of public climate change awareness and risk perception around the world , 2015 .

[22]  A. Corner,et al.  How do young people engage with climate change? The role of knowledge, values, message framing, and trusted communicators , 2015 .

[23]  H. Kloos,et al.  Knowledge and perceptions about the health impact of climate change among health sciences students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study , 2014, BMC Public Health.

[24]  A. Vedlitz,et al.  Abnormal Daily Temperature and Concern about Climate Change Across the United States , 2014 .

[25]  Gail M. Williams,et al.  Ambient temperature and lung function in children with asthma in Australia , 2013, European Respiratory Journal.

[26]  S. Tong,et al.  Extreme temperatures and paediatric emergency department admissions , 2013, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

[27]  Martha Augoustinos,et al.  Heat Waves and Climate Change: Applying the Health Belief Model to Identify Predictors of Risk Perception and Adaptive Behaviours in Adelaide, Australia , 2013, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[28]  P. Bi,et al.  Awareness of and Attitudes towards Heat Waves within the Context of Climate Change among a Cohort of Residents in Adelaide, Australia , 2012, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[29]  N. Pidgeon,et al.  Public understanding of, and attitudes to, climate change: UK and international perspectives and policy , 2012 .

[30]  Yves Rosseel,et al.  lavaan: An R Package for Structural Equation Modeling , 2012 .

[31]  Jan C Semenza,et al.  Climate change and climate variability: personal motivation for adaptation and mitigation , 2011, Environmental health : a global access science source.

[32]  Nicholas Frank Pidgeon,et al.  Perceptions of climate change and willingness to save energy related to flood experience , 2011 .

[33]  Z. Leviston,et al.  Baseline Survey of Australian attitudes to climate change: Preliminary Report , 2010 .

[34]  P. Landrigan,et al.  Children's Vulnerability to Environmental Exposures: Science and Social Justice Global Climate Change and Children's Health: Threats and Strategies for Prevention , 2022 .

[35]  Scott C Sheridan,et al.  A survey of public perception and response to heat warnings across four North American cities: an evaluation of municipal effectiveness , 2007, International journal of biometeorology.

[36]  A. Tripathi,et al.  Knowledge and passive adaptation to climate change: An example from Indian farmers , 2017 .

[37]  P. Harrison,et al.  Relating farmer's perceptions of climate change risk to adaptation behaviour in Hungary. , 2017, Journal of environmental management.

[38]  W. Wien,et al.  Econometric Computing with HC and HAC Covariance Matrix Estimators , 2004 .