Regional Sustainability >

2024 , Vol. 5 >Issue 1: 100116

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100116

Full Length Article

Preparedness, knowledge, and perception of nursing students about climate change and its impact on human health in India

  • Ramya Kundayi RAVI ,
  • Priya BABY ,
  • Nidhin ELIAS ,
  • Jisa George THOMAS ,
  • Kathyayani Bidadi VEERABHADRAIAH ,
  • Bharat PAREEK
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  • aCollege of Nursing, Medical and Health Sciences University, Ras Al Khaimah, 11172, United Arab Emirates
    bCollege of Nursing, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro sciences, Bangalore, 560011, India
    cCollege of Nursing, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, 682041, India
    dCollege of Nursing, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, 462020, India
    eSaraswati Professional and Higher Education College of Nursing, Mohali, 140413, India
*E-mail address: priam19@gmail.com (Priya BABY).

Received date: 2023-06-18

  Accepted date: 2024-03-29

  Online published: 2024-04-30

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Abstract

Higher education plays an important role in all aspects of sustainability. Infusing climate change and sustainability into the curriculum is important to prepare future health-care professionals for climate change and sustainability actions to build resilient health systems. In this study, we evaluated the preparedness, knowledge, and perception regarding climate change and its impact on human health among Indian nursing students. A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted among 644 undergraduate nursing students studying in three institutes in the southern, northern, and western parts of India. We used a structured online questionnaire with established validity and reliability to collect data. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26 software. The results showed that more than half of the students reported experiencing excessive increase (362; 56.2%) and decrease (374; 58.1%) in temperature in recent years. Though more than three quarters of the students (494; 76.7%) accepted the general truth that climate change is mainly caused by human activities, only less than half of the students (309; 48.0%) perceived the impact of climate change to be high. Three quarters of the students (483; 75.0%) had a high level of knowledge regarding climate change. The students who had a high level of knowledge about climate change exerted a high perceived impact of climate change (χ2=75.47; P<0.01). More than half of the students (50.9%) felt that they needed information about climate change to be included in the nursing curriculum, and only one sixth of the students (16.1%) were highly confident about engaging in climate change-related conversation with patients. Most of the students who participated in the study had basic knowledge about climate change and its impact on human health. However, there is an observed gap between knowledge and their preparedness and confidence to engage in climate change actions. Hence, we propose to strengthen the nursing curriculum by integrating various curricular and co-curricular activities related to climate change, so that future nurses are empowered to become climate change advocates.

Key words： Climate change; Curriculum; Nursing students; Human health; India

Cite this article

Ramya Kundayi RAVI , Priya BABY , Nidhin ELIAS , Jisa George THOMAS , Kathyayani Bidadi VEERABHADRAIAH , Bharat PAREEK . Preparedness, knowledge, and perception of nursing students about climate change and its impact on human health in India[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2024 , 5(1) : 100116 . DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100116

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