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. 2023 Mar 7;20(6):4703.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20064703.

"Climate Change and Health?": Knowledge and Perceptions among Key Stakeholders in Puducherry, India

Shreya S Shrikhande  1   2 , Sonja Merten  1   2 , Olga Cambaco  1   2 , Tristan Lee  1   2 , Ravivarman Lakshmanasamy  3 , Martin Röösli  1   2 , Mohammad Aqiel Dalvie  4 , Jürg Utzinger  1   2 , Guéladio Cissé  1   2
Affiliations

"Climate Change and Health?": Knowledge and Perceptions among Key Stakeholders in Puducherry, India

Shreya S Shrikhande et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Climate change has far-reaching impacts on human health, with low- and middle-income countries, including India, being particularly vulnerable. While there have been several advances in the policy space with the development of adaptation plans, little remains known about how stakeholders who are central to the strengthening and implementation of these plans perceive this topic. We conducted a qualitative study employing key interviews with 16 medical doctors, researchers, environmentalists and government officials working on the climate change agenda from Puducherry, India. The findings were analysed using the framework method, with data-driven thematic analysis. We elucidated that despite elaborating the direct and indirect impacts of climate change on health, there remains a perceived gap in education and knowledge about the topic among participants. Knowledge of the public health burden and vulnerabilities influenced the perceived health risks from climate change, with some level of scepticism on the impacts on non-communicable diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases. There was also a felt need for multi-level awareness and intervention programmes targeting all societal levels along with stakeholder recommendations to fill these gaps. The findings of this study should be taken into consideration for strengthening the region's climate change and health adaptation policy. In light of limited research on this topic, our study provides an improved understanding of how key stakeholders perceive the impacts of climate change on health in India.

Keywords: India; cardiovascular disease; climate change; health; key informant interviews; low- and middle-income countries; qualitative study; stakeholder perspectives.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Map of Puducherry. (A) Location of the four districts that make up the Union Territory of Puducherry, namely Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, spread out on either side of the coast of India. (B) Puducherry district, which is nestled within the state of Tamil Nadu with Andra Pradesh to the north (inlaid map). The shaded area highlights the non-continuous geographical area of Puducherry district.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A framework for health adaptation action in the context of climate change based on knowledge and perceived health risks, policy and institutional support and public engagement. The coloured parts highlights the thematic areas we focus on in this paper. The three main components have been shown in bold text.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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