Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40251580›Full record

ArticleBMC public health2025

Engaging health professionals in climate change: a cross-national study of psychological distance across 12 countries.

Sanmei Wen, Hongxin Chen, Jing Su

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC public health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Sanmei WenSchool of Humanities, Tsinghua University, 314, Mingli Building, Haidian, Beijing, 10084, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4197-439X
Hongxin ChenSchool of Journalism and Communication, Tsinghua University, 100084, Beijing, China.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-4318-3124
Jing SuSchool of Humanities, Tsinghua University, 314, Mingli Building, Haidian, Beijing, 10084, China. sujingxw@tsinghua.edu.cn.

Funding

General Program of the National Social Science Fund of China No. 22BXW069
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUnderstanding the psychological distance (PD) of health professionals toward climate change is essential to promote effective climate action and informed health policy. While climate change poses a global health threat requiring urgent collaboration, limited cross-national research exists on health professionals' perspectives, particularly on how they perceive PD in relation to climate change.

objectiveThis study aims to provide initial insights into how health professionals perceive climate change across different countries, focusing on key factors influencing PD, including personal experiences, uncertainty, perceptions, information environments, global interconnectedness, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

methodsThis research employed an exploratory mixed-methods approach, combining descriptive surveys and in-depth semi-structured interviews with 18 early-to-mid-career health professionals from 12 countries. This design facilitated a nuanced exploration of the dimensions of PD-temporal, spatial, social, and uncertainty-related-by integrating quantitative data with qualitative insights to uncover emerging trends and hypotheses.

resultsFindings reveal diverse perceptions of PD among health professionals, shaped by contextual factors such as exposure to extreme weather, information environments, and infrastructure development. These results challenge the oversimplified view that professionals in developing countries consistently perceive climate change impacts as more distant, underscoring the need for localized understandings of PD.

conclusionAssessing PD requires consideration of its diverse dimensions to inform effective climate-related behaviors and interventions. Tailored communication strategies reflecting unique national and regional contexts are essential to engage health professionals, enabling them to drive climate discourse and policy advocacy. This study highlights the potential of the early-to-mid-career health professionals in bridging the gap between public awareness and climate action. Their unique position enables them to drive long-term climate adaptation and policy implementation, fostering both global and localized solutions to climate challenges.

Indexed as

Attitude of Health PersonnelClimate ChangeHealth PersonnelAdultFemaleGlobal HealthHumansInterviews as TopicMaleMiddle AgedQualitative ResearchSurveys and QuestionnairesClimate changeClimate perceptionCross-nationalHealth professionalsPsychological distance

Identifiers

PMID40251580
PMCPMC12007173

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.