Heat waves and health: an observational study on heat related illnesses among medical students in north Karnataka
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20260765Keywords:
Climate change, Environment, Heat stress, Heat wavesAbstract
Background: Heat-related illnesses (HRIs) are a critical public health issue in India, particularly as increasing temperatures and routine heat waves which occur as a result of climate change exacerbate the situation. In recent years, Karnataka has experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves. The aim was to assess the perceptions on HRIs in medical students of Karnataka as they are prone to heat related illness while on family adoption programme field visits, field survey and field data collection activities.
Methods: it was a cross-sectional study, done on 325 medical students of Vijayapura District from April to May 2024. The participants were chosen using simple random sampling technique. Data was obtained using a structured questionnaire, that assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practice on HRIs, which was distributed via Google forms.
Results: The mean score based on knowledge was 14.12 (with range =4-18, SD=2.652), mean attitude and practice score was 1.81 (range =0-4, SD=1.194).
Conclusions: Study revealed that 83% of medical students recognized the risk posed by heat related illnesses and that it can lead to fainting while on field work. Considering the proportion of the level of KAP, 52% had good knowledge, 36% had average and 12 % had poor knowledge. Only 31% had good attitude, 24% had average knowledge and 45% had poor attitude. 34% had poor practice, 38% had average practice, and 28% had poor practice with respect to heat related illnesses.
Metrics
References
Al Johani RA, Marzook NT. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of military personnel regarding heat-related illness. Cureus. 2023;15:e49821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.49821
World Health Organization. Heat waves. New Delhi: WHO India. Available from: https://www.who.int/india/heat-waves. Accessed on 24 February 2026.
Marx W, Haunschild R, Bornmann L. Heat waves: a hot topic in climate change research. Theor Appl Climatol. 2021;146(1-2):781-800. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-021-03758-y
Freitas F de, Fogagnolo C, Dornfeld RL, Vitolo MR, Antônio MÂ, Brandão MÂB. Environmental health during extreme heat: challenges for the practice of safe physical activity in childhood and adolescence. Cad Saude Publica. 2026;42:e00131825. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311xen131825
Hundessa S, Huang W, Xu R, Yang Z, Zhao Q, Gasparrini A, et al. Global excess deaths associated with heatwaves in 2023 and the contribution of human-induced climate change. Innovation. 2025;6(10). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xinn.2025.101110
Thakkar V, Srinivas V, Marula Siddhappanavara P, Madappa T, Jeganathan A, Murthy IK. Heatwave health risk index for Karnataka, India. J Clim Chang Health. 2025;22:100428. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joclim.2025.100428
Ganganahalli P, Yankanchi SG, Yadavannavar M, Udgiri R. Perception and impact of the family adoption program (FAP) among Indian medical students: benefits and challenges. Cureus. 2024;16:e73893. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.73893
Wang X, Xia D, Long X, Wang Y, Wu K, Xu S, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of military personnel regarding heat-related illness risk factors: results of a Chinese cross-sectional study. Front Public Health. 2021;9:707264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.707264
Alebaji MB, Elzini TH, Shahin HBA, Suleiman ABM, Richard H, Dali RIA. Knowledge, prevention, and practice of heat strokes among the public in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Int J Med Stud. 2022;10(2):175-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5195/ijms.2022.1269
Ramakrishnan I, Senthil R, Pravinraj S, Dhasaram P, Venkatesan M, Manjubairavi T, et al. Risk perceptions of heat-related illnesses, assessing vulnerability, and adaptive capacity of brickkiln workers in a rural Puducherry: a cross-sectional study. Indian J Community Fam Med. 2025;11(1):8-13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/ijcfm.ijcfm_99_23
Sharma S, Marasini S, Joshi A, Dangaura NR, Timsina LR, Guragain D, et al. Exploring outdoor workers' knowledge, attitudes, practices, and perceived risks of heatwaves in Nepal. PLoS One. 2025;20(8):e0329557. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329557
Zhang W, Feng Y, Chai S, Yang Z, Dong J. Public knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward heat stroke in Ningbo, China: A cross-sectional study. Front Public Health. 2025;13:1659132. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1659132
Hasan F, Marsia S, Patel K, Agrawal P, Razzak JA. Effective community-based interventions for the prevention and management of heat-related illnesses: a scoping review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(16):8362. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18168362
Xu Y, Chen J, Du J, Jin Y. Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among the general community population toward heatstroke. Front Public Health. 2024;12:1373025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1373025
Li Y, Sun B, Yang C, Zhuang X, Huang L, Wang Q, et al. Effectiveness evaluation of a primary school-based intervention against heatwaves in China. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(5):2532. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19052532
Nowrouzi-Kia B, Choi C, Premji R, Sathananthan A, Balakrishnar K, Haritos A, et al. The impacts of climate change on occupational health and work among outdoor workers: a scoping review. PloS Glob Public Health. 2026;6(2):e0005888. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0005888
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
