Papers

Integrated Creative Health Education for Environmental Health Problems and Climate Change: A Field of Exceptional Current Importance for Capacity Building

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most profound concerns of our time; approaches to effectively and comprehensively address the problem remain elusive. Climate change is a constellation of undesirable climatic events that arise largely from unregulated anthropogenic activities which in turn lead to extreme weather conditions; heavy rain fall, hurricane, acid rain, strong winds, flooding with associated environmental problems. The attendant environmental health problems lead to displacement of human populations with associated economic adversities, food insecurity and disease prevalence. The World Health Organisation keeps reminding us that our planet is our health; every year, biological and chemical agents in the human environment, in the air, soil, food or water contribute to the premature death of millions of people, mostly infants, children, women, and to the ill-health of millions of people. Integrated creative health education Integrated health education involves person-centered activities, thereby helps people to learn to live more creatively engaging them to express their own goals and values, not relying only on instructions about healthy lifestyle. Integrated health education is considered a tool to prevent and ameliorate the effect of climate change by increasing awareness and providing inclusiveness of the people in the prevention of climate change effects. Consequently, climate change and environmental health problems can only be addressed by an integrated creative health education to reverse reckless anthropogenic activities and attendant environmental disorders through investment in capacity building (a focus on education and training) on a large scale at national and global levels.

Citation

Dr Gloria Anetor O. EIntegrated Creative Health Education for Environmental Health Problems and Climate Change: A Field of Exceptional Current Importance for Capacity Building. West African Journal of Physical and Health Education, 22, 125-139.

Keywords

Climate Change, Health Education, Capacity building, Environment, Health problem

Author Details

Dr Gloria Anetor O.
National Open University of Nigeria