According to the World Health Organization, climate change is considered to be “the biggest health threat facing humanity” – with experts projecting that it may cause as many as 250,000 additional health-related deaths each year between 2030 and 2050.
As part of global efforts to understand and address the intersection of climate change and health, two scientists from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) are on a scientific mission to investigate the impact of climate change on human health, violence and mental health in homes and schools in South Africa – and importantly, find potential long-term solutions to address this.
To support this endeavour, Drs Thandi Kapwata from the Environment and Health Research Unit (EHRU) and Andrew Gibbs from the Gender and Health Research Unit (GHRU) have recently received the SAMRC Intramural Early – Mid Career Researcher Flagship Award. These awards are designed to support research in important areas of morbidity and mortality that have, over the years, been less well-resourced – earlier this year, young scientists within the organisation were invited to apply. Following the selection and approval processes, Kwapata and Gibbs came out in first place – two more projects were also selected for funding as joint-second place.
Human caused climate change is leading to changes in temperature extremes globally –and the two researchers say the resulting impact on human health, particularly violence and mental health, continues to be poorly described in low and middle-income countries, such as South Africa. “Understanding how excessive heat can impact on violence and mental health in households and schools is critical for working to alleviate the impacts of climate change on human health.”
Working in Thohoyandou, rural Limpopo, one of the 10 hottest towns in the country, the pair will conduct an ambitious mixed-methods study to describe the relationship between heat, and health, specifically violence and mental health in households and schools, and then develop and pilot interventions to address these intersections. In developing complex interventions, Kapwata and Gibbs will apply a four-phased approach which includes seeking to characterize changes in climate over 10 years in the area and develop local community understandings of key changes in climate and local priorities related to health in this community.
In order to describe the associations and potential pathways between heat and violence and poor mental health, the project will establish two mixed methods cohorts, which includes 776 households of those aged 18+ over a period of 12 months and 300 Grade 8 pupils across 3 schools over 24 months.
In the end, once comprehensive theories of change and interventions to address the intersections of heat and violence and mental health in both settings have been developed, the interventions will be assessed for feasibility, acceptability and potential effects. In households this will be via a pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT). In schools, the two will deliver the intervention and conduct a qualitative process evaluation focused on acceptability and feasibility for refining the intervention for future pilot RCT.
According to the two, with the early establishment of a community advisory group that will meet every six months, they will have extensive feedback into the project from early on. They added that they have also developed an ambitious agenda for publication in scientific journals, which they will combine with vigorous media engagement and a range of plain language summary reports of the findings for dissemination. In the final year, the two will host a webinar to describe their findings.
Emphasizing the importance of the project, Dr Gibbs said: “human caused climate change is the major challenge for the twenty-first century, and starting to understand how this will impact on South African’s health in homes and schools will be critical for improving health going forward.” He further adds that receiving this flagship award is exciting and pushes him to think about violence and health in a truly inter-disciplinary way, which would not have been possible without working closely with Dr Kapwata. “I look forward to developing our joint thinking together, and with the wider team.”
Dr Kapwata also said, “evidence-based research is crucial to us developing effective climate change mitigation and adaption strategies suited to South Africa to protect vulnerable populations.” She also expressed her gratitude for receiving this flagship award adding that it would advance her career by expanding her research portfolio in her area of interest and she looks forward to working with Dr Gibbs and the dynamic project team which consists of seasoned and emerging researchers.
Professor Glenda Gray, SAMRC President and CEO congratulated the flagship award winners and said, “these projects are part of our long-term plan to advance transformation and the careers of SAMRC early and mid-career scientists studying research areas that in recent years have been less well funded by the SAMRC.”