Perceptions, Knowledge, and Adaptive actions in Response to Climate Events: A Scoping Review of Climate Health Literacy among Community Dwelling Older Adults
Jennifer Bolt, Yue Li, Sahar Bonakdarsakhi, Danny Chiu, Kathy L RushAbstract
Background and Objectives
Extreme climate events can threaten older adults’ health. The purpose of this study was to summarize existing literature on older adults’ climate health literacy, defined as their ability to find and access, understand, and act upon information related to climate-related health threats.
Research Design and Methods
A scoping review was conducted in the bibliographic databases Embase, Medline and Scopus and grey literature sources Cornell Initiative for Research on Climate and Aging and Climate Change and Human Health Literature portals with searches updated January 2026. English language studies of community-dwelling adults aged 60 years and older were included if they reported at least one aspect of climate health literacy. Quantitative data were reported as median percentages, and qualitative themes were categorized.
Results
Fifty-nine studies, including 22,992 records for 20,296 unique participants, were included. Most recognized the health risks of extreme climate events but did not identify personal vulnerability. Television was the most cited source of information and hydration, clothing and environment modification, and activity adjustment were the most utilized adaptive actions. Barriers to adaptive actions included financial constraints, limited mobility and lack of supports. The effectiveness of studied interventions was mixed, influenced by intervention type and study design.
Discussion and Implications
Despite access to information and awareness of climate-related health threats, gaps remain in personal risk perception and translation of knowledge into actions. Improving climate health literacy among older adults requires public health messaging, engagement of trustworthy authorities, and interventions addressing social and structural barriers.