Considering the Health Effects of Climate Change: A Scoping Review

The consequences of climate change significantly affect human health. The purpose of this review is to outline the progress of studies in the field of climate and health to date and to shed light on future research. The PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist was used to guide the study. A literature search was conducted on September 13, 2024, using PubMed and Google Scholar, covering the period from 2019 to 2024. Of the included studies, 65(40.12%) were from Europe, 43(26.54%) from Asia, and 34 (20.98%) from North America. The most commonly used research types included were reviews (%31.48) and modelling studies (%20.37). The most frequently used climate change evidence category in the included studies were “extreme weather events and heat/cold air waves”. The most frequently obtained health effects category in the compiled studies was "diseases related to heat and cold". This review summarizes research conducted in the past five years on the health impacts of climate change, identifying knowledge gaps and research priorities. Future studies should combine quantitative and qualitative methods to better understand the health impacts of climate change, assess health risks, and develop effective interventions.