A Climate Change Education Program for 7th and 8th Grade Students in Istanbul Schools: Does It Improve Climate Knowledge and Health-Protective Behaviors?

NCT07884279 — Not applicable, Not yet recruiting, 154 participants, Berk Öngider

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The Impact of Climate Change Education for Adolescents on Climate Literacy and Health-Protective Behaviors

Registry	NCT07884279
Status	Not yet recruiting
Phase	Not applicable
Study type	Interventional; randomized, parallel, masking: single, other
Enrollment	154 (Estimated)
Sponsor	Berk Öngider (Other)
Conditions	Climate Change, Adolescent, Health Education, Health Behavior, Student, School Health
Interventions	a climate change education for students in secondary school. (Behavioral)
Dates	start 2026-10-20 (estimated), primary completion 2026-11-20 (estimated), completion 2027-06-20 (estimated), first posted 2026-10-20, last updated 2026-10-20

-Summary

Climate is the usual weather pattern of a place over a long time. Climate change means long-term shifts in climate, caused by natural processes and, above all, by human activity. Since the Industrial Revolution, factories and production have released more greenhouse gases into the air, and the planet has become warmer.

These changes are a risk to public health. They harm some groups more than others: children, older adults, people with long-term illnesses, and people with fewer resources. This makes health inequalities worse, so fighting climate change is a public health issue as well as an environmental one.

Young people today are more aware of climate change, which is a good chance to strengthen programs that protect and improve health. The few studies available show that climate change education for teenagers is mostly given in 7th and 8th grade. However, we do not know enough about whether this education changes behavior or improves health.

This study aims to find out how a climate change education program affects teenagers' climate literacy (their understanding of climate change) and their health-protective behaviors.

The study is quasi-experimental, with a control group and tests before and after the program. It will take place in two middle schools in Üsküdar, Istanbul, from September 2026 to January 2027. Participants will be 7th and 8th grade students from these schools.

The sample size was calculated with the G*Power 3.1.9.4 program. Allowing for dropouts, we plan to include 154 teenagers: 77 in the education group and 77 in the control group.

Data will be collected with three tools: a Descriptive Information Form, the Climate Literacy Scale, and the Climate Change Health-Protective Behaviors Scale - Adolescent.

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+Arms and interventions

Arm	Type	Interventions	Description
Climate Change Education Group	Experimental	Behavioral: a climate change education for students in secondary school.	The group who will be given an education
Non-educated group	No intervention		The group of students who will not take an education from the investigator.

a climate change education for students in secondary school. (Behavioral): Students in the intervention group (7th and 8th grade) will receive a climate change education program. It will cover the basics of climate and climate change, its causes (greenhouse gases and human activity), its effects on the environment, and its effects on health. It will also explain why some groups, such as children, older adults, and people with long-term illnesses, are affected more, and how this creates health inequalities. The aim is to improve students' climate literacy and help them adopt behaviors that protect their own health and the health of people around them. The program will be delivered in person at school, in \[number of sessions\] sessions of \[duration\] minutes each, using \[teaching method, e.g., presentations, group discussions, activities\]. The control group will not receive any education during this period.

+Outcome measures

Primary outcomes

The Effect of Climate Change Education on Climate Literacy and Health-Protective Behaviors in Adolescents [Baseline and 4 weeks after the program.]: Change in health-protective behaviors related to climate change, measured by the Climate Change Health-Protective Behaviors Scale - Adolescent, from before the education program to after it.

+Eligibility

Sex: All, ages: 13 Years to 14 Years, accepts healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

* Agree to take part in the study
* Are in 7th or 8th grade
* Have no intellectual disability

Exclusion Criteria:

* Those who do not agree to take part in the study
* Those who have an intellectual disability

+Study documents

Study Protocol, Statistical Analysis Plan, and Informed Consent Form (PDF, 2026-01-13)