Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative study
Introduction: In Uganda, climate change poses significant threats to human livelihoods by exacerbating existing health challenges and introducing new health threats. This study focused on the knowledge and perspectives of health workers regarding the intersection of health and climate change, with p...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266727822500046X |
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| author | Aggrey Siya Akim Tafadzwa Lukwa Chemutai Faith Noah Mutai Plaxcedes Chiwire |
| author_facet | Aggrey Siya Akim Tafadzwa Lukwa Chemutai Faith Noah Mutai Plaxcedes Chiwire |
| author_sort | Aggrey Siya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: In Uganda, climate change poses significant threats to human livelihoods by exacerbating existing health challenges and introducing new health threats. This study focused on the knowledge and perspectives of health workers regarding the intersection of health and climate change, with particular emphasis on malaria, a disease prevalent in the country and notably affected by climate variations, especially in fragile mountainous regions such as Mount Elgon. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Kween District of Mount Elgon, Uganda. We utilized qualitative approaches, recruiting health service providers from various altitudinal zones using snowball sampling techniques. Health facilities were selected through purposive sampling and 69 health service providers participated. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews that explored health workers' knowledge of climate change and its impacts on health, including malaria. Results: Health workers perceived an increase in disease occurrences attributed to climate change, affecting their work in terms of load and access to facilities during extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains and heatwaves. Malaria cases were perceived to have increased in the higher altitudes that previously experienced limited case numbers. Despite the difficulties in distinguishing between climate change and climate variability, health workers associated these health-related phenomena with long-term weather alterations. Conclusions: Health workers perceive that climate change is affecting their work and delivery of health services. By leveraging the knowledge and experience of health workers regarding the relationship between health and climate change, there is an opportunity to enhance the resilience of the health system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-06567e5e843446c294495175ce2e5c0c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2667-2782 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Climate Change and Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-06567e5e843446c294495175ce2e5c0c2025-08-20T02:35:31ZengElsevierThe Journal of Climate Change and Health2667-27822025-05-012310046310.1016/j.joclim.2025.100463Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative studyAggrey Siya0Akim Tafadzwa Lukwa1Chemutai Faith2Noah Mutai3Plaxcedes Chiwire4Department of Health Policy Planning and Management, School of Public Health, Makerere University. P. O. Box 7062 Kampala Uganda; Department of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University. P. O. Box 7062 Kampala Uganda; Uganda Wildlife Research and Training Institute, P. O. Box 173 Kasese Uganda; Corresponding author.Health Economics Unit, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town (Akim Tafadzwa Lukwa), Cape Town South AfricaDepartment of Zoology, Entomology and Fisheries Sciences, Makerere University. P. O. Box 7062 Kampala UgandaFaculty of Business and Economics, Berlin School of Business and Innovation, Berlin, GermanyWestern Cape Department: Health, Western Cape Province, P.O. Box 2060, Cape Town 8000, South Africa; Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI Care and Public Health Research Institute, Maastricht University, 6200 MD Maastricht, The NetherlandsIntroduction: In Uganda, climate change poses significant threats to human livelihoods by exacerbating existing health challenges and introducing new health threats. This study focused on the knowledge and perspectives of health workers regarding the intersection of health and climate change, with particular emphasis on malaria, a disease prevalent in the country and notably affected by climate variations, especially in fragile mountainous regions such as Mount Elgon. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in the Kween District of Mount Elgon, Uganda. We utilized qualitative approaches, recruiting health service providers from various altitudinal zones using snowball sampling techniques. Health facilities were selected through purposive sampling and 69 health service providers participated. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews that explored health workers' knowledge of climate change and its impacts on health, including malaria. Results: Health workers perceived an increase in disease occurrences attributed to climate change, affecting their work in terms of load and access to facilities during extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains and heatwaves. Malaria cases were perceived to have increased in the higher altitudes that previously experienced limited case numbers. Despite the difficulties in distinguishing between climate change and climate variability, health workers associated these health-related phenomena with long-term weather alterations. Conclusions: Health workers perceive that climate change is affecting their work and delivery of health services. By leveraging the knowledge and experience of health workers regarding the relationship between health and climate change, there is an opportunity to enhance the resilience of the health system.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266727822500046XClimate changeResilienceHealth systemsHealth workersLocal communities |
| spellingShingle | Aggrey Siya Akim Tafadzwa Lukwa Chemutai Faith Noah Mutai Plaxcedes Chiwire Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative study The Journal of Climate Change and Health Climate change Resilience Health systems Health workers Local communities |
| title | Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative study |
| title_full | Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative study |
| title_short | Health workers’ perspectives regarding climate change and health in Kween District, Mount Elgon, Uganda – A qualitative study |
| title_sort | health workers perspectives regarding climate change and health in kween district mount elgon uganda a qualitative study |
| topic | Climate change Resilience Health systems Health workers Local communities |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266727822500046X |
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