Texas Health Care Workers Respond to Climate Change

The purpose of this study was to measure healthcare worker awareness of climate change and concern about its impact on health.

Cross-sectional population study.

Researchers administered the CHANT Tool to a convenience sample of 691 employees of a large health system in North Texas ranging from 20 to 75 years of age. About 71% were nurses.

The 52-item CHANT 2024: Climate and Health Tool measured engagement with climate change. Subscales measure familiarity with climate concepts, awareness of extreme weather events in respondents' region, concern about impact of climate change, conservation behaviors, and optimism regarding climate change. Respondents rated scaled items on a 5-point Likert-type scale from 0 (most negative or least) to 4 (most positive or greatest). In this sample subscales had acceptable internal reliability with Cronbach's alphas ranging from 0.69 to 0.96.

Respondents (79%) were familiar with the existence of climate change, but not that US Healthcare delivery is responsible for a significant proportion of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with it (36%). Most respondents were not optimistic about preparation for the impacts of climate change or preventing further climate change (56% and 59%, respectively). Degree of concern about the health impacts of climate change was significantly associated with six variables, including race, awareness that warming is associated with human activity, awareness that vulnerable populations are more at risk, personal exposure to extreme heat, observations of heat illness in patients, and observations of mental health in patients related to climate events. Most respondents (>50%) wanted to change practice to prepare for health impacts of climate change.

North Texas healthcare workers are familiar with climate change and believe it has potential to harm patients but are generally not optimistic about preparation for its effects or changing its course. However, they wish to change practice to make a positive difference.