Scoping Review of Climate Change Adaptation Interventions for Health: Implications for Policy and Practice

Area of Science:

• Climate change and health research
• Public health interventions
• Adaptation strategies

Background:

• Climate change poses significant global health threats, necessitating accelerated adaptation measures.
• The Belmont Forum and European Union are major funders of climate change and health research, making their funded interventions a key area for review.
• Understanding current adaptation interventions is crucial for informing future public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically summarize health adaptation interventions funded by the Belmont Forum and European Union.
• To identify the types of interventions, populations targeted, and outcomes reported in funded research.
• To highlight research gaps and opportunities for enhancing climate change adaptation in public health.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted, updated in February 2023, to identify relevant articles within the specified funding network.
• Data extraction focused on study characteristics, intervention types, and outcomes, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Narrative synthesis was employed to analyze and present the findings from the selected studies.

Main Results:

• Out of 197 screened articles, 37 reported on health adaptation interventions.
• Most interventions targeted the general population, with limited focus on high-risk groups like migrants.
• Behavioral change and health system strengthening were common intervention types, while nature-based solutions and built environment interventions were scarce. Extreme heat was the most studied hazard.

Conclusions:

• Promising findings exist for interventions addressing heat impacts on workers and pregnant women, and for community risk awareness.
• There is a critical need to expand research and interventions for vulnerable populations and those with mitigation co-benefits.
• The reviewed research provides a foundation for developing more comprehensive public health strategies to combat climate change impacts.