‘Q-Storming’ to identify challenges and opportunities for integrating health and climate adaptation measures in Africa

• Published in: The journal of climate change and health Vol. 12; p. 100254
• Main Authors: Rother, Hanna-Andrea, Dove, C.MacKenzie, Cornforth, Rosalind, Petty, Celia, Euripidou, Rico, Irlam, James, Gikungu, David, Chivese, Tawanda, Kutane, Waltaji, Jourou, Adjinda, van Bavel, Bianca, Zavaleta, Carol, Wright, Caradee Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Masson SAS 01.07.2023; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adaptation; Africa; Climate change; Health systems; Public health; Vulnerability; Climate change; Health systems; Vulnerability; Public health; Africa; Adaptation
• DOI: 10.1016/j.joclim.2023.100254
• ISSN: 2667-2782

•“Question-Storming” (Q-Storming) is an innovative way to collect data while breaking down barriers to promote dialog among diverse stakeholders (e.g., researchers, health, and climate practitioners, business, and international governing organization) for effective integration of health within national climate policies in Africa.•African health systems urgently need to connect health system priorities with climate-amplified health risks.•Governments must play an active role in the definition, design, resource allocation and implementation of national and sub-national research agendas.•Climate change research should be integrated within evidence-based policy making to promote “climate-health” in all policies.•Linking climate science and health vulnerability across institutions can support improved use of climate science and protects the health of vulnerable populations in Africa. Climate factors influence the state of human health and wellbeing. Climate-related threats are particularly being experienced by vulnerable populations in Africa. A Question (Q)-Storming session was convened at an international climate adaptation conference. It promoted dialog among a diverse spectrum of researchers, climate and medical scientists, health professionals, national government officials, civil society, business, and international governing organizations. The session identified approaches for the effective integration of health within African national climate adaptation policies. Two organizations partnered to convene the session at the Adaptations Futures 2018 Conference in Cape Town. Q-storming (which is an inverse approach to brainstorming) was applied to extract ideas from all participants. Four topics were presented during the session: (i) adaptive capacities related to climate change and infectious diseases; (ii) adaptive capacity of African governments in relation to health and climate change; (iii) making climate science work to protect the health of vulnerable populations; and (iv) making climate-health research usable. Nine cross-cutting adaptation themes were generated (i.e. key definitions, adaptive capacity, health sector priorities, resources, operational capacities and procedures, contextual conditions, information pathways, and information utility). The Q-Storming approach was a valuable tool for improving the understanding of the complexities of climate-health research collaborations, and priority identification for improved adaptation and service delivery. Concerted recognition regarding difficulties in linking climate science and health vulnerability at the interface of practitioners and decision-makers is required, for better integration and use of climate-health research in climate adaptation in Africa. This can be achieved by innovations offered through Q-Storming.