The association between climate change awareness, climate anxiety, and carbon footprint awareness among nursing students

Abstract

Aim To examine the association between climate change awareness, climate anxiety, and carbon footprint awareness among nursing students. Design A cross‐sectional, descriptive, and correlational study. Methods The study was conducted with 715 nursing students using self‐administered questionnaires to assess their climate change awareness, climate change anxiety, and carbon footprint awareness. Sociodemographic information was also collected. Associations among variables were examined using correlation analysis, and associated factors related to carbon footprint awareness were evaluated through hierarchical regression analysis. Results Carbon footprint awareness was positively associated with both climate change awareness and climate change anxiety, with anxiety showing a stronger association. Psychosocial variables explained variance in carbon footprint awareness more strongly than sociodemographic characteristics ( R 2 = 0.13). Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in carbon footprint scores according to academic year, previous awareness of the term ‘carbon footprint’, or place of residence. Climate change awareness was higher among students who had previously heard the term ‘carbon footprint’ ( p = 0.013), whereas climate change anxiety differed significantly by academic year ( p Conclusion The findings suggest that carbon footprint awareness among nursing students is more closely related to psychosocial processes than sociodemographic characteristics. Climate change anxiety, in particular, appears to be an important factor associated with environmentally related awareness. Additional subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in carbon footprint scores across subgroups, whereas climate change awareness and anxiety varied according to certain subgroup characteristics. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously given the cross‐sectional design and the relatively low explained variance of the model. Implications for Nursing Practice Integrating carbon footprint literacy and climate change into nursing curricula, considering peer education models, and promoting sustainable practices such as reducing the use of single‐use materials during clinical education may contribute to increasing environmental awareness and supporting environmentally responsible nursing practice among nursing students. Reporting Method This study adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guideline. Patient or Public Contribution No patient or public contribution.