Climate Change-related Crises and Public Health Outcomes in Keta Municipality, Ghana

Background : Climate change impacts on public health is a great concern to governments of nations. Keta Municipality in the Volta Region of Ghana has been experiencing recurrent tidal waves, and these tidal waves have rendered some communities homeless and destroyed properties worth millions of dollars in 2025. The study assessed the effects of climate change crisis on public health and provided relevant solutions. Methods: A concurrent mixed method design was employed in this study. A multi-stage was sampling used to select 422 study participants for the quantitative aspect of the study. Purposive sampling was employed to select study participants for the qualitative study. The quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 29.0. Multivariate regression analysis was applied in this study. The qualitative data was transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic content analysis with the help of Nvivo. Results: The results showed that respondents with no formal education were 3.48 times more likely to rate their access to water as average rather than good (P=0.0027, OR =3.48). Respondents who had lived in the area for 11-30 years were 3.70 times more likely to rate their access to water as average compared to good (P=0.02, OR =3.70). A majority of respondents reported that previously reliable water sources had been lost due to tidal waves. A little over half of the respondents, 50.7% (n=214), rated their household food security as average. This reflects the inconsistent availability of food following tidal waves, flooding, and unpredictable rainfall patterns that have disrupted local farming and fishing activities. Conversely, 16.6% (n=70) rated their household food security as poor, highlighting vulnerability to food shortages and nutritional deficiencies. These households reported challenges such as loss of farmland to tidal waves, destruction of fishing equipment, and higher prices following climate events. Conclusions: There was a notable lack of awareness about public or institutional measures to combat climate-health impacts. The study recommends Ghana Health Service should incorporate climate-health literacy into healthcare services and educational efforts aimed at increasing awareness of climate-related health issues be thoughtfully tailored to reach specific segments of the population that tend to less informed.