School of Healthcare, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Seebohm Rowntree Building, University of York, York, YO105DD, UK.
Public Health. 2023 Jun;219:85-90. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.03.020. Epub 2023 Apr 29.
The health impacts of climate change are increasing, but qualitative evidence on people's perceptions is limited. This qualitative study investigated people's perceptions of climate change and its impacts on health.
This was an online study using semistructured interviews.
A total of 41 semistructured interviews were conducted in 2021 with members of the public aged ≥15 years living in England, recruited via community-based groups. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.
Participants were concerned about climate change, which was often perceived as extreme weather events happening elsewhere. Changes in the UK's seasons and weather patterns were noted, but participants were uncertain whether these changes resulted from climate change. Participants often struggled to identify health impacts of climate change; where health impacts were described, they tended to be linked to extreme weather events outside the United Kingdom and their associated threats to life. The mental health impacts of such events were also noted.
The study found that most participants did not perceive climate change to be affecting people's health in England. This raises questions about whether framing climate change as a health issue, an approach advocated for countries less exposed to the direct effects of climate change, will increase its salience for the British public.
气候变化对健康的影响正在加剧，但人们对其看法的定性证据有限。本定性研究调查了人们对气候变化及其对健康影响的看法。
这是一项使用半结构化访谈的在线研究。
2021 年，通过社区团体招募了居住在英格兰的≥15 岁的公众，共进行了 41 次半结构化访谈。使用反思性主题分析对数据进行分析。
参与者对气候变化感到担忧，他们通常将气候变化视为发生在其他地方的极端天气事件。参与者注意到英国季节和天气模式的变化，但不确定这些变化是否是由气候变化引起的。参与者通常难以确定气候变化对健康的影响；在描述健康影响时，它们往往与英国以外的极端天气事件及其对生命的威胁有关。还注意到这些事件对心理健康的影响。
研究发现，大多数参与者认为气候变化并未影响英格兰人民的健康。这引发了一个问题，即对于那些较少受到气候变化直接影响的国家所倡导的将气候变化视为健康问题的做法，是否会提高英国公众对其的关注度。
