Survey of Knowledge, Attitude, and Performance of Students at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Regarding Solid Wastes Recycling

Abstract

This descriptive, cross-sectional study aimed to assess the correlations between the knowledge, attitude, and performance of the students of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, regarding waste recycling in 2020-2021. A questionnaire was used for data collection, and the sample population consisted of 70 male and female students. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 by Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis (α=0.05). The sample population included 87.1% women and 12.9% men. In total, 22.9% of students received special training to recognize the adverse effects and management of waste while 77.1% of them received no training. In addition, 22.9% of students reported the contraction of infectious diseases in themselves or others around them due to contact with garbage or contaminated equipment. The marital status had a significant difference with the amount of knowledge of the studied students for determining the type of awareness regarding the importance of recycle waste while gender represented no substantial difference in this regard. Based on the results, a positive correlation was observed between attitude and awareness, as well as the performance with knowledge and attitude. Knowledge, attitude, and performance are meaningful predictors of waste management. According to the results, the importance of waste management should be emphasized to student in the community in terms of the current health conditions. It also seems that the influential factors in waste management should be fully identified in interventional programs, and appropriate interventions should be planned and implemented accordingly.