Effective public health messaging for adverse weather events

Average temperatures in Scotland are rising and climate change is contributing to more frequent episodes of heat and cold, flooding and drought, all of which have implications for public health and health inequalities.  

Scotland has a comprehensive policy framework to address the health impacts of climate change including the Public Health Scotland (PHS) Adverse Weather and Health Plan 2024–27 (AWHP), published in July 2024. The plan sets out PHS’s commitment to working with partners to help mitigate, prepare for, and respond to the potential health risks associated with adverse weather, recognising these risks fall unequally across the population. The Plan covers the following weather-related hazards, with a significant impact on health: heat, cold, flooding, and drought. 

This research combines a rapid evidence review and stakeholder engagement to examine effective approaches for delivering persuasive messages that support protective health behaviours during adverse weather events. It focuses on four weather events within the AWHP: periods of hot and cold weather, flooding and drought.   

Key findings 

• Evidence on the effectiveness of public health communication disseminated for adverse weather is limited. Few studies directly link communication to health outcomes, with most focusing on intermediate outcomes such as awareness, knowledge, and behaviour change or intentions to act. 
• Rather than reflecting a simple linear relationship between information and action, this evidence points to a more complex picture in which behavioural responses are shaped by multiple factors that communicators need to consider. 

The research identified these principles for effective messaging including what channels are most effective: 

• Make guidance actionable, specific, and directive – people need to believe they are capable of the action and that it will be effective 
• Ensure ‘message relevance’: people need to see themselves in the message and believe the message is for them. This includes being mindful of how people self-identify and supporting people to personalise the risk.  
• Consider people’s emotional responses to certain weather events as some e.g. heat and drought can attract positive emotions. However, counteracting these with negative framings is insufficient unless combined with efficacy information.  
• Communication should be tailored to different audiences, recognising variation in language, literacy, housing conditions, income, geography, and other factors that shape how people access, interpret, and act on information   
• Clear, inclusive, and accessible language can improve engagement. Visuals, infographics, storytelling, and culturally relevant communication approaches can further support understanding and make messages feel more personally relevant. 
• Timing relevant to the weather event is important. 
• Traditional channels (broadcast and print media) remain widely used and valued, especially among groups less likely to engage online.  
• Digital channels, including websites and social media, are important components of adverse-weather communication strategies. Websites are widely used sources of information, while social media platforms are increasingly used to disseminate adverse-weather and health information and may help reach audiences less likely to engage with traditional media, particularly younger groups. However, access, engagement, and audience reach are uneven.  
• Formal and informal community networks are particularly important for those who may not engage with formal or digital channels. Their effectiveness is underpinned by credibility and trust; amplification and reach; and relevance and personalisation. 

For further information, please read the full report. You can also read a detailed report of insights taken from the engagement phase of this project in Annex 1.

If you require the report or annex in an alternative format, such as a Word document, please contact info@climatexchange.org.uk or 0131 651 4783.

Image: Adobe Stoc, irontrybex