From Concern to Comprehension: Exploring Awareness of Direct & Indirect Climate Health Impacts Among UAE University Students

Climate change affects health through direct climatic hazards and indirect pathways mediated by environmental and social systems. This study assessed UAE university students’ perceived awareness of these pathway types and their ability to correctly classify exemplar items accordingly. A cross-sectional online survey was distributed through open digital channels to students enrolled in UAE universities (N = 715). Outcomes included self-reported awareness categories and a 14-item pathway-classification task (2 direct-hazard items; 12 indirect pathway items) used to compute Total, Direct, and Indirect knowledge scores (completed by N = 593). Most respondents reported being aware of climate change (91.7%). Among those answering the awareness-category item (N = 656), 64.5% reported awareness of both direct and indirect impacts, 20.9% only direct, 5.0% only indirect, and 9.6% neither; gender was the only demographic factor associated with these self-reports (p = 0.050). Objective performance indicated higher accuracy for direct than indirect pathway items (Direct Score mean 67.0% [SD 41.1] vs. Indirect Score mean 40.0% [SD 23.1]), with an overall Total Score mean of 43.0% (SD 20.8; range 0–85.7). Students reporting awareness of both impact types scored higher on the Total Score than those reporting only direct awareness. Knowledge scores did not differ by gender; age showed a modest exploratory association with Direct Score only, and educational degree showed no consistent associations. Nearly half of respondents (46.4%) reported experiencing climate change-related health issues, and lack of interest was the most common reason for unawareness (37.3%) among those who reported being unaware. Interpreted as exploratory due to convenience sampling and the asymmetry between direct and indirect items, these findings suggest a gap between concern and pathway comprehension, particularly for indirect climate-health impacts, thereby supporting targeted, curriculum-linked climate-health education in UAE universities.