The effect of an environmental sustainability education program on nursing students’ knowledge and self-reported practices regarding climate-related health problems

Abstract

Climate change threatens community health, increasing heat-related illnesses, respiratory issues, and infectious diseases. Integrating environmental sustainability into health education prepares future professionals to tackle these challenges. Teaching nursing students about climate-related health problems and sustainable practices strengthens resilience and fosters proactive public health advocacy. This study assessed the effect of an environmental sustainability education program on nursing students’ knowledge and practices regarding climate-related health problems. A quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was employed in this study. Setting: The study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing, Mansoura University. A convenience sample of 100 first-year nursing students was included in the current study. Data were collected using a structured demographic questionnaire, a knowledge assessment questionnaire, and a self-reported practices checklist of climate-related health problems. Knowledge scores increased from 77.14 ± 32.83 before the program to 169.68 ± 32.15 after the program. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a statistically significant pre-post difference (Z = − 8.509, p < 0.001), with a large effect size ( r = 0.851). Self-reported practice scores increased from 58.23 ± 30.48 before the program to 92.50 ± 20.21 after the program, with a statistically significant pre-post difference (Z = − 7.333, p < 0.001) and a large effect size ( r = 0.733). Among first-year nursing students at a single Egyptian nursing faculty, participation in the educational program was followed by improvements in knowledge and self-reported practices regarding climate-related health problems. Given the study design, convenience sampling, and self-reported measures, the findings cannot establish causality or objectively verified behavioral change. Further controlled, multi-site studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess their generalizability. Climate-related health and environmental sustainability content should be considered for integration into nursing curricula, while further controlled, multi-site studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness and generalizability of such educational approaches.