Climate change health communication and its association with awareness and behaviors in South Korea

Introduction

In a climate crisis where climate change poses serious risks, there is still a lack of awareness of climate change and its health impacts, and the awareness does not translate into health adaptation behaviors. Communication for health adaptation to climate change is not just about conveying information or changing awareness, but requires a strategy that considers the factors that drive individual behavioral change. This study aimed to confirm whether communication experiences are associated with awareness and behaviors related to climate change and health.

Methods

The online survey was conducted among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 adults aged 19-64. Climate change communication was measured in terms of information seeking experience and climate communication experience. Mean differences in climate change health awareness and behavior between subgroups were identified and regression analyses were conducted to determine associations.

Results

The experiences of climate communication were associated with lower perceived likelihood of susceptibility to health risks. However, experiences of information seeking and climate communication had a positive association with pro-environmental and health adaptive behavior.

Conclusions

Current communication approaches have not been effective enough in combining information and communication experiences about climate change and health to build accurate awareness. Protecting and promoting health in the context of the climate crisis requires a public demand-driven approach and a systematic communication strategy that leads to the right awareness and action.