Climate change awareness, motivation, and behaviours among primary health care nurses in South Africa: findings from the adapted CHANT survey

IF 4.5

The journal of climate change and health Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-05-26 DOI:10.1016/j.joclim.2026.100690

Thandazile Sibindi, Jennifer-Anne Chipps, Talitha Crowley

{"title":"Climate change awareness, motivation, and behaviours among primary health care nurses in South Africa: findings from the adapted CHANT survey","authors":"Thandazile Sibindi, Jennifer-Anne Chipps, Talitha Crowley","doi":"10.1016/j.joclim.2026.100690","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Background</h3><div>Climate change increasingly affects global health, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) facing recurrent droughts, heatwaves, and extreme weather events that strain primary health care (PHC) systems. Nurses, as frontline providers, are critical for managing climate-sensitive conditions and promoting resilience. Evidence on nurses’ climate-health engagement in LMICs remains limited.</div></div><div><h3>Objective</h3><div>To assess awareness, motivation, and behaviours related to climate change among primary health care (PHC) nurses in the Western Cape, South Africa, using a contextualised Climate, Health, and Nursing Tool (CHANT).</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in 38 PHC facilities. An all-inclusive sampling approach yielded 128 professional nurses. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire adapted for local context. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were applied.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>Most respondents (76.2%) were aware of climate change, primarily through television (75%) and social media (60.9%). Two-thirds (66.7%) had experienced extreme weather events, and 74.6% had managed climate-sensitive conditions, notably respiratory illnesses. Concern and motivation were high (90%), and 70% believed mitigation is possible; however, 51.6% perceived the issue as complex, and 25% felt overwhelmed. Climate-friendly behaviours were more frequent at home (15–77%) than at work (12–45%), and only 9% engaged in climate communication with policymakers.</div></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><div>Despite strong concern and motivation, workplace climate actions remain limited. Strengthening nurses’ sustainability knowledge and institutional support is essential for advancing climate-resilient PHC systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":75054,"journal":{"name":"The journal of climate change and health","volume":"29 ","pages":"Article 100690"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5000,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"The journal of climate change and health","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667278226000453","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/5/26 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background

Climate change increasingly affects global health, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) facing recurrent droughts, heatwaves, and extreme weather events that strain primary health care (PHC) systems. Nurses, as frontline providers, are critical for managing climate-sensitive conditions and promoting resilience. Evidence on nurses’ climate-health engagement in LMICs remains limited.

Objective

To assess awareness, motivation, and behaviours related to climate change among primary health care (PHC) nurses in the Western Cape, South Africa, using a contextualised Climate, Health, and Nursing Tool (CHANT).

Methods

A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted in 38 PHC facilities. An all-inclusive sampling approach yielded 128 professional nurses. Data were collected via a self-administered questionnaire adapted for local context. Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were applied.

Results

Most respondents (76.2%) were aware of climate change, primarily through television (75%) and social media (60.9%). Two-thirds (66.7%) had experienced extreme weather events, and 74.6% had managed climate-sensitive conditions, notably respiratory illnesses. Concern and motivation were high (90%), and 70% believed mitigation is possible; however, 51.6% perceived the issue as complex, and 25% felt overwhelmed. Climate-friendly behaviours were more frequent at home (15–77%) than at work (12–45%), and only 9% engaged in climate communication with policymakers.

Conclusion

Despite strong concern and motivation, workplace climate actions remain limited. Strengthening nurses’ sustainability knowledge and institutional support is essential for advancing climate-resilient PHC systems.

查看原文本刊更多论文

南非初级卫生保健护士的气候变化意识、动机和行为：经改编的CHANT调查结果

背景：气候变化对全球健康的影响越来越大，低收入和中等收入国家（LMICs）面临经常性干旱、热浪和极端天气事件，给初级卫生保健（PHC）系统带来压力。护士作为一线提供者，对于管理气候敏感病症和促进复原力至关重要。关于中低收入国家护士参与气候健康的证据仍然有限。目的：利用气候、健康和护理工具（CHANT）评估南非西开普省初级卫生保健（PHC）护士与气候变化相关的意识、动机和行为。方法：对38家初级保健机构进行描述性横断面调查。采用全包抽样方法，共获得128名专业护士。数据是通过适合当地情况的自我管理问卷收集的。采用描述性统计和非参数检验。结果：大多数受访者（76.2%）主要通过电视（75%）和社交媒体（60.9%）了解气候变化。三分之二（66.7%）的人经历过极端天气事件，74.6%的人应对过气候敏感疾病，尤其是呼吸系统疾病。关注和动机很高（90%），70%的人认为缓解是可能的；然而，51.6%的人认为这个问题很复杂，25%的人感到不知所措。气候友好型行为在家中（15-77%）比在工作场所（12-45%）更为频繁，只有9%的人参与了与政策制定者的气候沟通。结论：尽管有强烈的关注和动机，但工作场所的气候行动仍然有限。加强护士的可持续性知识和机构支持对于推进气候适应型初级保健系统至关重要。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊