The relationship between nursing students' environmental literacy and awareness of Global Climate Change

Abstract

ObjectivesThis study aims to examine the correlation between environmental literacy and levels of awareness of global climate change in nursing students.DesignThe cross‐sectional and correlational design.Sample476 undergraduate nursing studentsMethodsData were collected with The Personal Information Form, the Awareness Scale of University Students about Global Climate Change, and Environmental Literacy Scale for Adults in March 2023. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and linear regression analysis (stepwise method) were used to analyze the data.ResultsThe mean scores of the Environmental Literacy Scale and the Awareness Scale of University Students about Global Climate Change Scale were 87.31 ± 8.61 and 75.60 ± 14.86, respectively. A positive correlation was found between the awareness of global climate change and environmental literacy (p < 0.05). As participation in meetings on environmental problems, environmental concerns and awareness increased, awareness of global climate change increased.ConclusionsNursing students had high levels of awareness of global climate change and environmental literacy. The awareness of nursing students on climate change and their environmental literacy levels are highly important in protecting public health against the adverse effects of climate change and reducing climate change through effective resource management in health services in the future. It is recommended that integrate courses related to environment health to curriculum of nursing school and in‐service training during healthcare. The study draws attention to the Sustainable Development Goals related to climate change.

Impact of Awareness Program for Carbon Footprint Mitigation among Nursing Students. A Step toward Sustainability

“…The CF mitigation awareness program helped the students comprehend some of the fundamental ideas behind CF more thoroughly. Incesu and Yas (2023) (34), found that nursing students' awareness of CC was effectively increased by attending meetings on environmental issues. Moreover, an Egyptian study of Mohammed et al, (2023) (35), discovered that students' knowledge of CC significantly increased after educational intervention.…”

Association Between Climate Change and Patient Health Outcomes: a Mixed-methods Systematic Review

“…Furthermore, there is evidence of the impact of education on the sustainability of environmental resources, on promoting the competencies of nursing students, and on increasing their awareness of this topic [28, 35,37]. Among the extracurricular activities that appeared to be useful in raising awareness of global climate change, the discussions about environmental problems [39], environmental voluntary activities, and watching environmental documentaries [25] were crucial and discussed across the analyzed studies. Efforts to integrate climate change topics into the curriculum in nursing education were also discussed [25,30,40].…”

“…The ndings of this review suggested that although many students did not receive formal education on environmental issues, they know about climate change and are aware of its impacts on many aspects of their private and future professional lives, primarily due to media exposure. Additionally, nurse educators can build on students' awareness [25,30,31,39]. In this context, the review ndings also highlighted that nursing students enter the profession with the expectation that nursing as a profession has the responsibility and in uence needed to address the topic of climate change.…”

“…waste management, and use of resources [37], has improved the competencies of nursing students and increased their awareness of sustainable care [35] and has improved students' knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding sustainability development [28]. Additionally, awareness of global climate change was related to environmental literacy and higher in students who have previously participated in meetings on environmental problems [39], or environmental voluntary activities and watched environmental documentaries [25].…”