Formative Research: Community Engagement, Management and Adoption of Climate-Resilient Health Practices in Climate-Vulnerable Districts in Lao PDR (2025)

The formative research examines community knowledge, care‑seeking practices, and communication preferences related to climate sensitive diseases such as dengue and diarrhea. This work supports the Strengthening Climate Resilience of the Lao PDR Health System project, funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and implemented by the Ministry of Health of Lao PDR in partnership with Save the Children International (SCI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Findings show rising awareness of climate related health threats, yet persistent gaps in knowledge, access, and preparedness particularly among ethnic minority groups and remote communities. While understanding of diarrhea symptoms is high (90%), knowledge of dengue symptoms remains limited (38%). Gender norms substantially influence household decision‑making, with nearly half of respondents reporting that women require spousal permission before seeking health services.

The study also reveals a multi layered communication ecosystem. Older adults and rural residents rely predominantly on village heads, community meetings, loudspeakers, health volunteers, and family networks for health information, whereas youth increasingly depend on social media platforms and mobile applications. Despite this diversity in information pathways, early warning system (EWS) coverage remains inconsistent, with only 50% of respondents receiving alerts in the past year.
These insights highlight critical needs for tailored, gender‑responsive, and culturally appropriate risk communication strategies; strengthened early warning dissemination; and engagement approaches that leverage trusted community structures.