PLOS ONE Medicine&Health

Knowledge and attitudes of medical students towards the health impact of climate change: A study from Jordan

by Mohammed O. Khabour, Owais Omar Tarabsheh, Bilal M. Al-zu’bi, Omar F. Khabour, Rami Saadeh

Studies have reported a strong relationship between climate change and human health. Medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward the impact of climate change on health are crucial to fostering their environmental stewardship. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the awareness and attitudes of medical students in Jordan toward climate change and human health. The study was cross-sectional in design, anonymous, self-reported, and used a closed-ended questionnaire. The study included 837 students from various medical specialties, including medicine, dentistry, applied medical sciences, pharmacy, and nursing. Statistical analysis involved cross-tabulations and regression analysis. About 46.3% of students reported good awareness of the health impacts of climate change, while 44.8% reported somewhat awareness. This awareness was found to be associated with female gender (P = 0.003) and university level (P