Evaluating the Relationship between Nursing Students’ Environmental Awareness and Sensitivity and Their Environment Literacy

Background: When the effects of climate problems on social life started to be seen, one reaction was an increase in awareness of environmental protection and environment sensitivity.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the environmental awareness and sensitivity of nursing students and their environmental literacy.

Methods: The study was conducted as a descriptive and correlational study. The research sample consisted of 316 students studying in a degree program in Nursing at a foundation university in Northern Cyprus in the spring semester of the academic year 2020–2021. An Environmental Literacy Scale and an Environmental Awareness and Sensitivity Scale were used in the study to collect data. The Mann–Whitney U-test and the Kruskal–Wallis H test and Spearman test were used for data analysis.

Results: It was found that 65.5% of the students were female, and 45.9% were in the 20-21-year age group, 27.8% smoked cigarettes, 74.4% had heard of the concept of the environment, and 22.8% took part in environment activities. It revealed that the students’ total scores on the Environment Literacy Scale were 76.81 ± 11.59. The overall mean obtained on the Environment Awareness and Environmental Sensitivity Scale was 139.74 ± 19.32.

Conclusion: The students’ environmental literacy and their environmental awareness and sensitivity were found to be at a good level. It was seen that as students’ environment literacy levels rise, their environmental awareness and sensitivity also rise. Lessons and seminars should be added to the curriculum of nursing schools to develop environmental literacy levels.