Understanding climate change and health in Melbourne’s South East
A mixed-methods research project investigating understandings of the links between climate change and health within and among communities in City of Greater Dandenong, City of Casey and Cardinia Shire.
About the project
The project builds upon the learnings of enliven’s involvement with the LMCF funded “Hot Spots” initiative. Very little local data exists around the type and range of community knowledge, values, attitudes and behaviours regarding climate change and its impact on human health. This research project aims fill this gap by increasing understanding of the types of knowledge and awareness of climate change and its link to human health, within and among community members in Melbourne’s South East region.
The project activities will result in a robust dataset and report which can be utilised by health and community services to produce evidence-informed strategies and interventions to prevent the adverse effects of climate change on human health, while also building community resilience.
The project focuses on two key research questions:
What is the range of knowledge, awareness, values, attitudes and behaviours of the interrelationship between climate change and health within communities in South East Melbourne?
What cohorts of the community in South East Melbourne have the most limited knowledge, understanding and capacity surrounding climate change and health, and what the barriers and facilitators to action among these cohorts?
Project outcomes
Increasing the capacity of health and community organisations to understand and monitor current levels of understanding of climate change and health among their community as well as associated barriers towards action
The development of a detailed plan to co-design a communications toolkit for local community and health services to address and respond to diverse understandings of climate change and health within the South East Melbourne community
The increase of community interest and understanding about the links between climate change and human health.
This research project has received ethics approval from Victoria University (HRE22-025). This project is funded by the Lord Mayors Charitable Foundation.