Korean J Adult Nurs.  2023 Feb;35(1):71-83. 10.7475/kjan.2023.35.1.71.

Factors Influencing Nursing Graduate Students’ Perception and Behavior Related to Climate Change and Health: A Secondary Data Analysis

• Park MK
• Baek S
• Jeong DW
• Kim GS

• KMID: 2540055
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2023.35.1.71

Abstract

Purpose
This study aimed to identify nursing graduate students’ perception and behavior related to climate change and health and the factors affecting them.
Methods
This secondary analysis used research data on the development of a Korean version of Climate Health and Nursing Tool. The participants were 220 graduate nursing students who were currently working. The dependent variable, which is the climate-health related perception and behavior, consisted of 20 items on awareness, concern, motivation, behaviors at home, and behaviors at work related to climate change.
Results
The mean score on the climate-health related perception and behavior was 73.52, which ranged from 41 to 100. Multiple linear regression showed that climate-health related perception and behavior were predicted by an optimistic attitude toward climate change response (β=.20, p=.002), experience in climate change- related extreme events (β=.18, p=.010), number of exposure pathways for climate change-related information (β=.17, p=.008), education level (β=.16, p=.015), and current work area (β=.15, p=.027).
Conclusion
An optimistic attitude toward climate change response was identified as the most influential factor that explained nursing students’ climate-health related perception and behavior. Interventions that reinforce positive feelings about climate change-related behaviors and an optimistic attitude that climate change can be adapted to and mitigated through appropriate behaviors would significantly improve climate-health related perception and behavior.

Keyword

Behavior; Climate change; Health; Nurses; Perception