Evaluating rural adolescents’ climate change knowledge, attitudes and practices subsequent to a simple educational intervention in Bangalore, India

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on adolescents’ knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) concerning climate change and its health impacts in rural Bangalore. Method: An interventional study design was employed, utilising a pre-test and post-test approach to measure changes in KAP before and after the intervention. Setting and Design: The study was conducted among students aged 12–16 years attending a government high school and a private high school in rural Bangalore, India. Baseline KAP was assessed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The intervention involved a child-to-child approach and flip charts in a manner informed by World Health Organization’s (WHO) Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) recommendations. A post-test was administered 6 weeks after the intervention. Data analysis included paired t-tests, Student t-tests and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Out of 135 students with a mean age of 15 years, there was a significant increase in the mean knowledge scores from 9.97 to 14.27 ( p < .05). Attitude scores improved slightly from 12.00 to 12.70, and practice scores increased from 7.53 to 9.67, though these changes were not statistically significant. Private school students showed more notable improvements in knowledge and attitudes compared to government school students. Conclusion: The educational intervention significantly enhanced students’ knowledge about climate change but had a more limited effect on attitudes and practices. The results highlight the importance of continued and diversified educational efforts to strengthen climate change awareness and promote sustainable behaviours among adolescents. Expanding such initiatives to other demographic groups could enhance their impact on fostering comprehensive climate action.