Assessment of Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes of Undergraduate Students at Malla Reddy University: A Study on Environmental Ethics

Abstract

Educating University students at the initial levels can improve their knowledge of environmental issues. A relevant study was conducted at the School of Allied Healthcare Sciences, Malla Reddy University, Hyderabad, India, based on a cross-sectional design. A self-administered questionnaire focused on the socio-demographics, knowledge, and attitudes of 380 students toward environmental ethics was used to collect the data and analyzed by SPSS. The findings include about 50% (N=200) of the students were found to have low knowledge scores; on the other hand, 49.2% (N = 187) of students showed a pro attitude towards environmental issues. Chi2 analysis showed that place of birth and courses undergoing (clinical/nonclinical) resulted in a notable relationship with knowledge scores. Pearson's correlation analysis showed that the place of birth (POB) (r=0.143; p=0.05) and clinical/nonclinical courses (r=0.206; p=0.05) had weak relation to knowledge score; a negative, weak correlation was found between attitude score and education levels (r= -0.105; p=0.01) of the students. The present study showed that University students had a moderate level of knowledge of the environment, and about 20% showed a negative attitude toward environmental practices. The present study suggests the need to include environmental awareness programs in corresponding curricula to improve awareness of the environment.