Awareness of ecological footprint among VIth grade students of a medical faculty

Abstract

Almost a quarter of all causes of death globally are attributed to environmental problems. Determining the awareness of healthcare professionals regarding environmental problems is necessary in the management of potential health problems. The aim of this study is to determine the ecological footprint awareness of senior medical school students. The research has a cross-sectional design and was conducted with 6th year students of Trakya
University Faculty of Medicine. The data collection tools are a questionnaire form developed by the researchers and the Ecological Footprint Reduction Awareness Scale (EFRAS). The mean EFRAS score of the research group is 110.7±13.6 (minimum: 82.0, maximum: 130.0). Total scale scores of
the participants who are male, Turkish nationals, those who do not have chronic diseases, those whose mothers are highly educated, those who prefer individual vehicles for transportation, those who rarely consume unnecessary goods, and those who said “I dispose of waste by separating it” and “Ergene River poses a health risk” were calculated higher than the others. The difference between the total scale scores of the participants who said “I dispose of waste by separating it” and “Ergene River poses a health risk” was found to be statistically significant. This study shows that the ecological footprint awareness of the senior medical school students varies significantly depending on factors such as gender, educational status of parents, transportation preferences, consumption habits and participation in environmental activities. It emphasizes the importance of targeted education programs and behavioral changes to increase environmental awareness.