An Assessment of Final-Year Medical Students’ Knowledge on Climate Change and Infectious Diseases at a Medical School

Introduction: Although awareness of climate change has increased in recent years, there is still a knowledge gap regarding the impact of climate change on infectious diseases. This study aims to determine the knowledge level of final-year medical students regarding climate change and infectious diseases, to identify related factors, and to contribute to medical education on this topic.
Methods: The population of this cross-sectional study consisted of 279 final-year students at Ankara University Faculty of Medicine. Data analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel and IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 30. Descriptive statistics were expressed as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. Appropriate analysis methods were used for comparisons between groups, and a p<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Of the participants, only 17.9% had received education about climate change, and 10.4% had received education about its health effects. 80% expressed concerns about climate change and infectious diseases. The participants’ levels of knowledge and perception were moderate overall; however, perception scores were significantly higher among those who had previously received education, thought about, or discussed these topics. In addition, climate-infectious impact scores were significantly higher among those who had previously received education, were willing to receive education, or thought about these topics. While 71.3% of the participants stated that they obtained their information from social media, 59.9% indicated that they would like to receive further education.
Discussion and Conclusion: The current medical school curriculum should be reviewed, and topics related to climate change should be addressed in more detail.

Keywords: Climate change; Infectious diseases; Knowledge level; Medical student