Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Herat University Medical Students Towards Climate Change

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Published Feb 10, 2024
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2024: ICCC (Special Issue)

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Shafiq Ahmad Joya
Abdul Subhan Seddiqi
Aziz-ur-Rahman Niazi

Abstract

Climate change, a major global problem, threatens the health of humans, animals and environment. It is caused by the accumulation of greenhouse gases that results from human activities on earth surface. The aim of this study was to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of medical students of Herat University towards climate change. This cross-sectional university-based KAP survey was conducted between October and December, 2023, among students of the Faculty of Medicine at Herat University, Herat, Afghanistan. A total of 190 students with a median age of 22.0 years, selected via a simple random sampling technique were included in the study. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and KAP of participants were collected using a paper-based 69-item questionnaire, including three questions for sociodemographic characteristics, six questions for evaluating knowledge, 42 questions for attitude, and 18 questions for practice. Statistical analyses were performed in IBM SPSS Statistics (version 27.0). Of the 190 participants, 185 (97.4%) heard about climate change, 126 (66.3%) noticed unpredictable rainfalls, and 62 (32.6%) experienced hotter days and nights. Of all participants, 134 (70.5%) stated that climate change was very important to them, while 53 (27.9%) felt sad, and 42 (22.1%) felt that they could do something to tackle climate change. Three-fourth (74.7%) of students thought that industry- and vehicle-related air pollution was the cause of climate change, while 131 (68.9%) and 130 (68.4%) thought that deforestation and greenhouse gases were the most considerable causes, respectively. To help tackle climate change, 173 (91.1%) participants turned off lights when they were not in use, 153 (80.5%) used energy-saving equipment, and 133 (70.0%) used energy-saving lights. Results obtained in this study, along with the findings of similar studies, highlight the need to raise public KAP regarding climate change.

Keywords

knowledge, attitude, practice, climate, change, medical, students, Herat

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How to Cite
Joya, S. A., Seddiqi, A. S., & Niazi, A.- ur-R. (2024). Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Herat University Medical Students Towards Climate Change. NUIJB, 3(02), 70–73. Retrieved from https://nuijb.nu.edu.af/index.php/nuijb/article/view/169

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