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

Abstract

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.