Research in Community and Public Health Nursing (지역사회간호학회지)

Korean Academy of Community Health Nursing (한국지역사회간호학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Nursing Students' Environmental Consciousness and Medical Waste Related Knowledge and Attitudes

간호대학생의 환경의식과 의료폐기물 관련 지식 및 태도

  • Ha, Jae-Hyun (Department of Nursing, Masan University) ;
  • Lee, Hyun Ju (College of Nursing, Catholic University of Pusan)
  • 하재현 (마산대학교 간호학과) ;
  • 이현주 (부산가톨릭대학교 간호대학)
  • Received : 2019.02.12
  • Accepted : 2019.04.29
  • Published : 2019.06.30
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to find out how much influence nursing students' environmental consciousness and knowledge of medical waste have on their attitudes toward medical waste. Methods: The subjects were 211 nursing students recruited from 2 universities. Data were collected with a structured self-report questionnaire comprising measures of environmental consciousness, and knowledge of and attitude toward medical waste. Data analysis was conducted with the SPSS/WIN 25.0 program. Results: A total of 211 copies of the questionnaire were used for the final analysis, except for 9 untrusted responses out of 220 that included missing values. Those subjects' environmental consciousness who received environmental education in middle and high schools was higher (t=3.15, p=.002). The higher their grades, the better their knowledge of medical waste (F=3.40, p=.035). Those subjects' knowledge of medical waste who received medical waste education was relatively high (t=3.14, p=.002). Those subjects with clinical practice experience had more sensitive attitudes toward medical waste (t=2.06, p=.041). Those subjects' attitudes toward Medical waste who received medical waste education at the universities were relatively high (t=2.04, p=.043). The subjects' environmental consciousness was positively correlated with their attitudes toward medical waste (r=.44, p<.001). The most influential factor in their attitudes toward medical waste is their environmental attitudes and medical waste education. Conclusion: The higher the nursing students' environmental consciousness, the higher their attitudes toward medical waste. It is necessary to provide environment and medical waste education for nursing students in order to strengthen their environmental consciousness and attitude toward medical waste.

Keywords

References

  1. Kim BS, Lee SJ. Survey on the Korean elementary school teachers' perception of environmental education on green growth. Journal of the Korean Institute of Forest Recreation. 2012;16(2):75-83. https://doi.org/10.34272/forest.2012.16.2.008
  2. Yoo JH, Lee SJ. The relationships environmental consciousness, environmental commitment, and green consumer behavior among students in educational college. Journal of the Korean Institute of Forest Recreation. 2014;18(3):61-68. https://doi.org/10.34272/forest.2014.18.3.006
  3. Bak HJ, Huh JY. Structure and determinants of pro-environmental behavior-The effect of environmental consciousness and multi-dimensionality of pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Korea Environmental Policy Administration. 2010;18(1):1-26.
  4. Cottrell SP. Influence of sociodemographics and environmental attitudes on general responsible environmental behavior among recreational boaters. Environment and Behavior. 2003;35(3):347-375. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916503035003003
  5. Dunlap RE. Environmental sociology. In: Bechtel RB, Churchman A, editors. Handbook of environmental psychology. 1st ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 2002. p. 160-171.
  6. Shin JW, Shin MC. Study on effect of self-concept in pro-environmental psychology and green consumer behavior. Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Education. 2011;24(3):56-77.
  7. Jo YN, Kim KH. Environmental consciousness in Korea: Empirical analysis. Environmental and Resource Economics Review. 2003;12(1):177-204.
  8. Sung KW. The effects of an environmental education with newspaper in education (NIE) on the environmental concern and practice. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. 2008;38(6):891-901. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2008.38.6.891
  9. Kang JK, Seo YJ, Park HS. Accreditation criteria of environmentally-friendly hospitals in the USA, UK and Australia. Health Policy and Management. 2010;20(4):139-169. https://doi.org/10.4332/KJHPA.2010.20.4.139
  10. Seo YG, Kang SH, Kim, YH, Lee YG. Present and future green hospital in Korea. Journal of Korean Health Policy and Administration. 2010;16(1):43-53.
  11. Sattler B. Environmental health in the health care setting. Journal of American Nurses. 2012;34(2):25-40.
  12. Yu SJ, Ha WC, Park YM, Ha YO, Bae KH. A study of nurses' knowledge, attitude and practice regarding medical waste (Busan and Kyongnam Province University Hospitals). The Korean Society of Health Service Management. 2017;11(1):79-89. https://doi.org/10.12811/kshsm.2017.11.1.079
  13. Lee HJ. Hospital nurses' environmental awareness and their knowledge, stance towards and management of medical waste [master's thesis]. [Daegu]: Kyungbook National University; 2014. 40 p.
  14. Oh SE, Park SH, Ahn HK, Ji KH, Kim PY, Hong YS, et al. A survey on the current state of medical waste treatment and the opinion of medical waste managers about on-site treatment of the general hospitals in Korea, Korean Public Health Research. 2016;42(3):13-22. https://doi.org/10.22900/KPHR.2016.42.3.002
  15. Ahn SH, Ahn SY. The study of area-division strategy for medical waste disposal. Journal of Digital Convergence. 2014;12(9): 255-263. https://doi.org/10.14400/JDC.2014.12.9.255
  16. Oh SE, Ji KH, Park S, Kim P, Lee KM. International comparisons of management systems for medical waste and suggestions for future direction of medical waste management system in Korea. Korean Journal of Environmental Health Sciences. 2017:43(6):532-544. https://doi.org/10.5668/JEHS.2017.43.6.532
  17. Oh SE, Lee J, Ahn H, Kim KY, Park S, Ha K, et al. A study on the spatial distribution of medical waste generation and treatment in Korea. Korean Journal of Environmental Health Sciences. 2015;41(6):449-457. https://doi.org/10.5668/JEHS.2015.41.6.449
  18. You HS, Yang IH, So HS. A university hospital employee's knowledge, attitude toward, and practice of hospital infectious wastes. Korean Journal of Adult Nursing. 2009;21(1):53-61.
  19. Yoo MS, Seo YS, Son YL. Effect of supervising infectious medical waste and eco-friendly health care sersvice orientation as perception of the environment problem of hospital nurse. Journal of Korean Clinical Health Science. 2013;1(2):39-47.
  20. Song CK. Effect of environmental awareness on environmentally friendly consumption behavior [master's thesis]. [Gwangju]: Gwangju University; 2012. 54 p.
  21. Ministry of environment. Guidelines for separation of medical waste [Internet]. Seoul: Ministry of environment. 2018 [cited 2018 July 26]. Available from: http://me.go.kr/home/web/policy_data/read.do?menuId=10265&seq=7165
  22. Park KH. A Study of nurses' knowledge, attitude and practice of infectious medical wastes [master's thesis]. [Seoul]: Kyunghee University; 2004. 52 p.
  23. An JH, Lee YS. The effect of knowledge and perception of environmental problems on pro-environmental behavior of youth. Journal of Korean Home Economics Education Association. 2010;22(2):45-60.
  24. Sung KW. The effects an environmental education with newspaper in education on the environmental concern and practice. Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing. 2008;38(6):891-901. https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2008.38.6.891
  25. Jang YC, Lee C, Yoon OS, Kim H. Medical waste management in Korea. Journal of Environmental Management. 2006;80(2):107-115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.08.018
  26. Yoo MS, Seo YS, Son YL. Effect of supervising infectious medical waste and eco-friendly health care service orientation as perception of the environment problem of hospital nurse. Journal of Korean Clinical Health Science. 2013;1(2):39-47.
  27. Klineberg SL, Mckeever M, Rothernbach B. Demographic predictors of environmental concern: It does make a difference how it's measure. Social Science Quarterly. 1998;79(4):734-753.
  28. Wall G. General versus specific environmental concern: A Western canadian case. Environmental and Behavior. 1995;27(3):294-316. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916595273002
  29. Tomsen JL, Disinger JF. A method for assessing effects of an introductory environmental history course on student world views. The Journal of Environmental Education. 1998;29(2):11-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958969809599108
  30. Lee GC, Kim MY, Kim EY, Kim JH, Kim HS, Noh JS, et al. Statistics for health care. 2nd ed. Seoul: Hyunmoonsa; 2012. 294 p.

Cited by

  1. 지역환경문제에 관한 사회과학쟁점 토론이 고등학교 학생들의 환경인식 변화에 미치는 영향 vol.13, pp.3, 2019, https://doi.org/10.15523/jksese.2020.13.3.284