Survey reveals heatstroke awareness and prevention in Fukuoka City, Japan

Rising global temperatures and heatwaves pose escalating health risks. This study aims to explore heatstroke (HS) awareness and prevention among 1142 residents of Fukuoka City, Japan, in 2020 and 2022. Questionnaire data revealed that while many respondents reported past experiences of HS-like symptoms (78.8%) and possessed high knowledge of HS symptoms (90.1%), only 56.3% adopted extensive (≥ 4) preventive measures. Crucially, a robust understanding of HS symptoms-rather than personal experience with mild symptoms-was the strongest predictor of adopting daily preventive practices (odds ratio [OR] 2.556, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.715, 3.809], p < 0.001). The findings also highlight distinct challenges across demographics: older adults were more proactive in taking preventive measures, yet ensuring this translates to timely recognition of specific symptoms remains a key challenge. Conversely, younger individuals showed a significant behavioural gap, lagging in prevention despite frequent symptom experience. Notably, the adoption of preventive measures increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2020 (OR 2.808, p < 0.001), a change that coincided with the implementation of new national public health initiatives. These results underscore the need for tailored interventions, focusing on symptom recognition for older males and strategies to close the knowledge-behaviour gap among the young.