Climate change and health in school-based education: A scoping review protocol

responsible personal decisions or advocate for broader policies that protect health” [27] [p. 6]. They state that proficiency in climate and health literacy is anticipated to be developed over time, with younger students obtaining functional levels during primary and secondary educa- tion [27]. Evidence and work on the effectiveness of climate change education is still lacking, [32] however research in this nexus is increasingly gaining traction [3, 30]. A report found that the majority of climate change programs address the causes of climate change but fewer tend to focus on issues regarding climate change mitigation, adaptation and impact reduction [30]. This study however did not address the health linkages covered in climate change education. Osama et al. [33] scoping review protocol aims at exploring the linkages of climate change and health offered in online platforms. However, the results of this scoping review have still not been published and are not available [33]. This scoping review intends to fill the gap in the research on the links between climate change education and health, with a specific focus on school-based learning environments, considering their vital role in impacting attitudes and behavior [15, 17]. Specifically, it aims to explore the extent to which the levels of prevention, climate mitigation and adaptation, and health co-benefits are covered in school-based climate change education. 2. Materials and methods The scoping review protocol will be reported in accordance with PRISMA Extension for Scop-

ing Reviews [PRISMA-ScR]: Checklist and Explanation [34]. The review will be carried out in accordance with this protocol, and details of any changes to this protocol will be reported in the final manuscript. Additionally, the development and planning of the review and protocol is guided by the JBI [The Joanna Briggs Institute] approach and the PCC [Population [or par- ticipants]/Concept/Context] framework. The JBI approach will be used for the planning and completion of this review, being the most updated and rigorous approach to date for scoping reviews [35]. A scoping review was concluded to be the most appropriate to address the research aims as it provides an overview of the volume and distribution of the evidence base as well as high- lights where more research is warranted. Scoping reviews serve to synthesize evidence and assess the scope of literature on a topic. Among other objectives, scoping reviews help deter- mine whether a systematic review of the literature is warranted [34]. The scoping review was preregistered with the Open Science Framework [registration DOI: https://doi.org/10.17605/ OSF.IO/8U5GK]. Currently, the data extraction from the included studies is being conducted. 2.1. Identifying the review question Research questions were developed to address the research aims: “What health topics are addressed in climate change education programs offered in schools?” and “Are levels of pre- vention, health co-benefits of climate mitigation and adaptation covered?”. Research question formulation was guided by item 4 in the PRISMA scoping review exten-

sion checklist [34]. Through the PCC framework, the main elements were identified (Popula- tion or participants/Concept/Context), which helped to conceptualize the review questions and the study objectives. PCC (Population/Concept/Context) [36] framework is recommended by JBI to identify the main concepts in the primary review questions. The framework also informs the search strat- egy. S1 Appendix includes the PCC framework along with the keywords and medical headings used. PLOS ONE Climate change and health in school-based education: A scoping review protocol PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0282431 March 1, 2023 3 / 7