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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Environ. Health
Sec. Environmental Epidemiology
Volume 3 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fenvh.2024.1363395

Knowledge towards the health impacts of climate change and associated factors among undergraduate health sciences students in Amhara Region: a Multi-centered study

Provisionally accepted
Meron Asmamaw Alemayehu Meron Asmamaw Alemayehu 1*Sewnet G. Workie Sewnet G. Workie 2Makda Abate Belew Makda Abate Belew 2Muluken C. Agimas Muluken C. Agimas 1Nebiyu M. Derseh Nebiyu M. Derseh 1Habtamu W. Abuhay Habtamu W. Abuhay 1Redeat Berihanu Redeat Berihanu 3Fasika T. Kinfe Fasika T. Kinfe 3Haymanot A. Abebe Haymanot A. Abebe 3Sophiya zemene Sophiya zemene 3Astewul M. Bazezew Astewul M. Bazezew 4
  • 1 Department of epidemiology and biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
  • 2 Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Amhara, Ethiopia
  • 3 GAMBY Medical and Business College, Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia
  • 4 University of Gondar, Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Increased knowledge about the health impacts of climate change would motivate health students and health professionals to adopt sustainable healthcare practices, design climatecentered health programs, help build climate-resilient health systems, and ultimately contribute to the global effort of mitigating climate change.Method: An Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Universities in the Amhara region. A total of 616 undergraduate health science students were included from three Universities. A validated, self-administered structured questionnaire was used. Data were analyzed using STATA™ version 14.0. A Logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with the health impacts of climate change. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.Result: Only 48.5% (95% CI: 44.6, 52.4) of students had good knowledge regarding the health impacts of climate change. Sex of the student -male (AOR=1.44, 95% CI: 1.032, 2.023), University (AOR= 0.534, 95% CI: 0.360, 0.792), and Department -comprehensive Nursing, (AOR= 0.264, 95% CI: 0.117, 0.592), Midwifery (AOR = 0.201, 95% CI: 0.085, 0.476), and Medical Laboratory (AOR = 0.151, 95% CI: 0.055, 0.413) were significantly associated factors.: The knowledge of the health impacts of climate change among health science students was low. Sex, University, and Department were the associated factors. Hence, undergraduate health science programs should incorporate at least the fundamental details of climate change. Universities should also develop and use a harmonized curriculum.

    Keywords: Climate Change, Health impacts, Amhara region, Health Science, undergraduate

    Received: 30 Dec 2023; Accepted: 03 Jul 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Alemayehu, Workie, Belew, Agimas, Derseh, Abuhay, Berihanu, Kinfe, Abebe, zemene and Bazezew. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Meron Asmamaw Alemayehu, Department of epidemiology and biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.