RISK PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS, 2011 SANTA MARTA-COLOMBIA

Introduction: The World Health Organization ( WHO) has called that climate change is a threat to public health, it is therefore necessary to know the perception of risk to climate change specifically on future health professionals. Materials and Methods: Descriptive quantitative research was undertaken with stratified random sampling. Chi2 analysis and logistic regression were performed to identify factors associated with sensitive risk perception of climate change and increased climate change to infectious diseases. Results: By Chi2 was found that about 69% of students perceive climate change as harmful and between 50 and 59% of them perceive that infectious diseases will increase as a result of climate change. By logistic regression statistical significance was observed that students who belong to the sixth semester of study or higher semesters are 60% more likely to recognize that they can get sick from climate change, 63% more likely to perceive climate change as harmful, were associated 2.2 times plus the increase in global temperature to increase in patients with yellow fever and dengue, also have 58% more likely to relate the increase in cases of cholera and malaria, with respect to students belonging to lower semesters. Discussion: Students of different health programs that belong to the sixth semester of study or higher perceived climate change as a threat to public health and associated with increased infectious diseases, thus, can be considered health students as they progress in academic semesters perceive a greater risk of climate change as a threat to public health and an increase in sick for climate-sensitive infectious diseases. Conclusions: It can be concluded that students in health sciences at the University of Magdalena as found in higher semesters acquire a greater perception of risk from the impact of climate change on public health and the increase of infectious diseases.