Objective To study the knowledge, attitudes, behaviors of community residents in Chongqing on climate change and its influencing factors.

Methods Simple random sampling method was used for data collection. Residents above 18 year-old without cognitive impairment and living in the selected typical community for two years or more were sampled as research subjects and surveyed by questionnaire.

Results Among the hottest social issues and public health issues, climate change ranked the seventh and fifth respectively. The awareness of climate change was 72.49%. Principal channels to obtain the knowledge were television (47.95%), internet (24.20%) and newspapers (17.50%); 78.88% of community residents considered the heat wave having the worst effect on people's production and living, 81.43% of residents interested in the knowledge related to climate change and health; 84.63% of residents were willing to take part in activities of adaptation to climate change to protect people's health; 86.61% of residents hoped to get an early warning and forecasting on climate change which might affect health; 64.69% of residents took initiatives to consult with health service personnel on the influence of weather change on health; 88.60% of residents paid attention to weather forecast; 99.09% of residents used air conditioning; 68.85% of residents opened window frequently. Factors affecting the knowledge, attitude and practice on climate change were the frequency of physical training and level of education for residents.

Conclusions The awareness of residents on climate change was high in Chongqing, but the degree of attention, the adaptation to climate change and the correct cognition of related knowledge remain to be improved. So, intensifying publicity and education through mass media, such as television and the internet is an effective way to improve the awareness and adaptability of residents on climate change.