Perceptions of health professionals on the health impacts of climate change: a nationwide cross-sectional survey in Greece

Climate change threatens human health, yet healthcare professionals' knowledge, views, and advocacy roles remain largely underexplored. This study aimed to assess, for the first time in Greece, healthcare professionals' views on climate change's health impacts and their advocacy role in environmental mitigation. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a 29-item online questionnaire, distributed nationwide to healthcare professionals in public healthcare facilities. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to assess perceptions and their demographic associations. Among 192 respondents (53.2% response rate; median age 42; 79.7% female), 96.4% acknowledged climate change, and 84.8% expressed high certainty. For 83.8%, it was personally important, with women reporting greater concern than men (p = 0.003). The most frequently identified climate-related health risks were wildfires (78.6%), storms and floods (68.2%), and poor air quality (68.2%). Most participants supported stronger national climate action (88.5%) and global advocacy (77.1%), with women showing significantly greater support (p = 0.018). Key barriers to public engagement included lack of time (77.6%) and insufficient knowledge (68.2%), the latter being significantly more reported by females (p < 0.001). Our findings highlight the need for targeted training and institutional support to empower healthcare professionals as climate advocates and enhance their role in public health protection.