Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East London

Eco-anxiety refers to negative feelings around climate change, associated with distress and concern about the future. As there are minimal data on eco-anxiety in pre-adolescent children, here, we measured worries, knowledge and commitment to action in primary school-aged children in East London, an...

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Main Authors: Dennis Ougrin, Francois van Loggerenberg, Imogen I. Hensler, Khushi Patel, Julia Michalek, Callum Ritchie, Jennifer Y.F. Lau
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-06-01
Series:BMJ Paediatrics Open
Online Access:https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/9/1/e003324.full
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author Dennis Ougrin
Francois van Loggerenberg
Imogen I. Hensler
Khushi Patel
Julia Michalek
Callum Ritchie
Jennifer Y.F. Lau
author_facet Dennis Ougrin
Francois van Loggerenberg
Imogen I. Hensler
Khushi Patel
Julia Michalek
Callum Ritchie
Jennifer Y.F. Lau
author_sort Dennis Ougrin
collection DOAJ
description Eco-anxiety refers to negative feelings around climate change, associated with distress and concern about the future. As there are minimal data on eco-anxiety in pre-adolescent children, here, we measured worries, knowledge and commitment to action in primary school-aged children in East London, an area characterised by high child poverty levels and ethnic diversity. Approximately half of the children worry about and are aware of global warming. We also found a correlation between worries and knowledge, and between worries and taking action. While these data are limited by a cross-sectional design and by the use of single-item self-reports of these constructs, nonetheless, greater engagement of pre-adolescent children in discussions around climate change is called for.
format Article
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institution Kabale University
issn 2399-9772
language English
publishDate 2025-06-01
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
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series BMJ Paediatrics Open
spelling doaj-art-70cf62e0f5a64618a18e675e2dcc62fc2025-08-20T03:28:21ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Paediatrics Open2399-97722025-06-019110.1136/bmjpo-2025-003324Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East LondonDennis Ougrin0Francois van Loggerenberg1Imogen I. Hensler2Khushi Patel3Julia Michalek4Callum Ritchie5Jennifer Y.F. Lau6Wolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UKWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UKWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UKWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UKWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UKWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UKWolfson Institute of Population Health, Queen Mary University of London, London, UKEco-anxiety refers to negative feelings around climate change, associated with distress and concern about the future. As there are minimal data on eco-anxiety in pre-adolescent children, here, we measured worries, knowledge and commitment to action in primary school-aged children in East London, an area characterised by high child poverty levels and ethnic diversity. Approximately half of the children worry about and are aware of global warming. We also found a correlation between worries and knowledge, and between worries and taking action. While these data are limited by a cross-sectional design and by the use of single-item self-reports of these constructs, nonetheless, greater engagement of pre-adolescent children in discussions around climate change is called for.https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/9/1/e003324.full
spellingShingle Dennis Ougrin
Francois van Loggerenberg
Imogen I. Hensler
Khushi Patel
Julia Michalek
Callum Ritchie
Jennifer Y.F. Lau
Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East London
BMJ Paediatrics Open
title Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East London
title_full Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East London
title_fullStr Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East London
title_full_unstemmed Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East London
title_short Eco-anxiety, knowledge and action in primary school-aged children in East London
title_sort eco anxiety knowledge and action in primary school aged children in east london
url https://bmjpaedsopen.bmj.com/content/9/1/e003324.full
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