Knowledge and awareness towards the role of renewable energy in the prevention of disease: a cross-sectional study

Fossil fuels are a major source of air pollutants, which contribute to a variety of diseases. In Saudi Arabia, particulate matter exposure accounted for about 8,500 deaths in 2017, nearly 9% of all mortality, mainly from ischemic heart disease, stroke, and COPD (Rojas-Rueda et al. in Environ Res 197, 2021). Renewable energy offers an opportunity to reduce exposure to these harmful pollutants and promote healthier environments. However, assessment of public knowledge regarding the health benefits of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia has not been reported, underscoring the need for this study. An online cross-sectional survey of 545 adults in Saudi Arabia. Participants aged 18 years or older were recruited through social media and university mailing lists. A structured self-administered questionnaire, developed from validated instruments and pretested in a pilot study, assessed demographics, knowledge of renewable energy, awareness of health benefits, and willingness to adopt renewable energy in daily life. The study received the IRB ethical approval, and informed consent was obtained from all participants. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression with SPSS version 29. The study analyzed 545 participants, revealing high knowledge of solar energy (97%) but significantly lower knowledge of geothermal energy and biomass (17% and 11%, respectively). Awareness of the link between fossil fuel pollution and disease development was substantial (93.4%), and 70% were aware of the role of renewable energy in improving public health, particularly in reducing respiratory illnesses (63%). Furthermore, 75% expressed willingness to adopt renewable energy, largely due to perceived reductions in healthcare costs (90%). Statistical analysis showed that people with greater familiarity with renewable energy were 2.7 times more likely to adopt it (95% CI 1.06 to 6.94, p = 0.038), and those highly concerned with fossil fuel pollution were 9.3 times more likely to support educational initiatives on the topic (95% CI 2.41 to 36.06, p = 0.001). Among the sampled Saudi population, there is a strong consensus that air pollution causes disease and that renewable energy can reduce disease incidence, offering health and economic benefits. Educational initiatives are needed to improve knowledge of less familiar renewable sources such as biomass and geothermal and leverage the high willingness to adopt them.