Climate Change Information Sources and Trust Among Healthcare Workers in Mačva District, Serbia

Background

Effective climate-health communication requires trusted information channels, yet how healthcare workers (HWs) access and trust climate information remains poorly understood. As part of a regional study by the South-East European Network on Workers’ Health, coordinated by the Institute of Occupational Health of R.N.M, WHO Collaborating Center in North Macedonia, we examined information sources, trust, and communication preferences among HWs in Serbia, stratified by their climate change beliefs.

Methods

In 2025, we surveyed 322 HWs from 9 institutions in Serbia’s Mačva district using a validated, specially designed questionnaire for this regional survey. We assessed climate change belief (yes/no/unsure), concern (4-point scale), information sources (10 options), trust in sources (1–5 Likert scale), preferred channels (8 options), and formats (7 options). We compared patterns by belief status using descriptive statistics and Fisher’s exact test, as appropriate.

Results

Among 322 respondents, 95.0% believed climate change is happening. Believers reported significantly higher concern (66.9% vs 18.8% moderately/very concerned; Fisher p < 0.001). They relied more on scientific articles (62.4% vs 25.0%) and government reports (66.0% vs 37.5%). Trust was generally low across all sources: television scored highest (mean 2.74±0.92/5), followed by websites (2.71±1.06). Preferred channels were social media (39.7%) and conferences (38.1%); preferred formats included brochures (35.3%) and mobile apps (31.9%). Discussions with patients about climate change were reported as rare (77.4% never).

Conclusions

Despite near-universal acknowledgment of climate change, HWs show low trust in information sources and rarely discuss climate health with patients. Preferences for digital channels suggest mobile-first strategies may enhance engagement. These findings may inform the WHO European Region’s efforts to strengthen climate-health communication across South-East Europe.

Key messages

• Healthcare workers who believe in climate change rely more on scientific articles (62.4% vs 25.0%) and government reports (66.0% vs 37.5%) than non-believers.

• Low trust in all information sources (highest mean 2.74/5) and rare patient discussions (77.4% never) reveal important climate-health communication gaps.