Development of a Pilot Literacy Scale to Assess Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors towards Climate Change and Infectious Disease Dynamics in Suriname

Public Deposited
Analytics

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
Request Version for Screen Reader
Creator
  • Matlack, Meghan
    • Affiliation: School of Medicine
  • Covert, Hannah
    • Other Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health
  • Shankar, Arti
    • Other Affiliation: Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
  • Zijlmans, Wilco
    • Other Affiliation: Anton de Kom University of Suriname
  • Abdoel Wahid, Firoz
    • Other Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health
  • Hindori-Mohangoo, Ashna
    • Other Affiliation: Foundation for Perinatal Interventions and Research in Suriname
  • Lichtveld, Maureen
    • Other Affiliation: University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health
Abstract
  • Prior research has shown that climate literacy is sparse among low- and middle-income countries. Additionally, no standardized questionnaire exists for researchers to measure climate literacy among general populations, particularly with regards to climate change effects on vector-borne diseases (VBDs). We developed a comprehensive literacy scale to assess current knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors towards climate change and VBD dynamics among women enrolled in the Caribbean Consortium for Research in Environmental and Occupational Health (CCREOH) cohort in Suriname. Items were generated by our research team and reviewed by a group of six external climate and health experts. After the expert review, a total of 31 climate change and 21 infectious disease items were retained. We estimated our sample size at a 10:1 ratio of participants to items for each scale. In total, 301 women were surveyed. We validated our scales through exploratory (n = 180) and confirmatory factor analyses (n = 121). An exploratory factor analysis for our general Climate Change Scale provided a four-construct solution of 11 items. Our chi-squared value (X2 = 74.32; p = 0.136) indicated that four factors were sufficient. A confirmatory factor analysis reinforced our findings, providing a good model fit (X2 = 39.03; p = 0.23; RMSEA = 0.015). Our Infectious Disease Scale gave a four-construct solution of nine items (X2 = 153.86; p = 0.094). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed these results, with a chi-squared value of 19.16 (p = 0.575) and an RMSEA of 0.00. This research is vitally important for furthering climate and health education, especially with increases in VBDs spread by Aedes mosquitoes in the Caribbean, South America, and parts of the southern United States.
Date of publication
Keyword
DOI
Identifier
Resource type
  • Article
Rights statement
  • In Copyright
License
  • Attribution 4.0 International
Journal title
  • International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Journal volume
  • 20
Journal issue
  • 24
Page start
  • 7178
Language
  • English
Version
  • Publisher
ISSN
  • 1660-4601
Publisher
  • Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)

Relations

Parents:

This work has no parents.

In Collection:

Items

Thumbnail Title Date Uploaded Visibility Actions
file details ijerph-20-07178.pdf 2024-01-03 Public Download