PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION TOWARD CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH

Abstract

The objective of this study was to collect data on individuals' awareness and perception of the influence of climate change on human health. We conducted a survey using a cross-sectional approach to gather information from 150 individuals living in the Kanpur Dehat District. Information was gathered from a well-organized questionnaire. This enabled them to obtain information from the participants. The survey revealed that the majority of the population comes from low socioeconomic origins. Specifically, 2.67% of them had higher socioeconomic status, while the majority worked as day labourers or farmers. The majority of participants (75.33%) had an awareness of climate change, whereas 24.67% of them were uninformed of this issue. Television and radio were the main sources of information about climate change for 55.6% of the participants, with television being the principal source for 43.33% and radio for 41.33%. According to the poll, 83% of participants believed that deforestation was the primary cause of climate change. A significant association existed between awareness of climate change and variables such as gender, educational attainment, monthly income, and occupation. The research group had a moderate level of awareness about climate change, but their perception of the impact of climate change on human health was significantly higher than usual.