Submission ID 130667
| Issue/Objective | Climate change is increasingly shaping health risks in low and middle income countries, yet adolescent-particularly girls in climate vulnerable communities, are rarely equipped with the knowledge or skills to respond. While young people frequently experience climate related disruptions centering their experiences reveals how climate resilience is constrained less by individual capacity and more by systemic gaps in education and cross sector coordination. This disconnect between adolescents lived climate exposure and limited access to climate literacy and responsive public health systems constrains youth agency, weakens resilience, and reduces community capacity to manage climate related health shocks. |
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| Methodology/Approach | A cross sectional baseline assessment was conducted among 403 in school adolescent girls aged 10-20 years across climate vulnerable communities in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Using a structured quantitative survey, data were collected on adolescents' experiences of climate related impacts (including water access, health effects, and environmental changes), alongside their knowledge of climate change and related health risks. The analysis situates adolescents lived experiences within broader public health and education system contexts, examining gaps between exposure and preparedness. By centering adolescent girls' perspectives, the study adopts an equity oriented lens to assess how systemic shortcomings in climate literacy and youth focused programming may undermine community level health resilience. |
| Results | Results reveal a disconnect between adolescent girls' high exposure to climate‑related stressors and their inclusion in climate knowledge and preparedness systems. Respondents reported experiencing environmental changes (71.0%), flooding or drought (58.0%), reduced water access (56.2%), climate‑related health impacts (58.6%), yet only 41.9% had any climate change knowledge and 67.5% had low climate literacy. Climate stressors exacerbated weak school and community WASH systems, contributing to menstrual discomfort (41.2%) and absenteeism (17.6%). Despite high motivation and problem‑solving capacity, barriers to school participation reflected systemic gaps in climate‑responsive education rather than limited individual agency. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Adolescent girls face high exposure to climate‑related disruptions but remain excluded from climate literacy and WASH systems to respond effectively. The study indicate that integrated, school based approaches that combine gender responsive WASH and climate literacy are essential to strengthen youth resilience, prevent avoidable school absenteeism, and ensure equitable health and education outcomes in climate vulnerable settings. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Jane Adizue Society for Family Health Jane Chinyere Adizue Society For Family Health Sulayman Abdullahi Society for Family Health Jennifer Anyanti Society for Family Health |
