A mixed method study on global warming, climate change and the role of public health nurses from the perspective of nursing students

Eco-nursing competencies for nurses: A scoping review

Background

Nurses are tasked with addressing the health impacts of climate change. Eco-nursing competencies, covering knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to climate change, equip nurses to actively mitigate and adapt to its effects on health and the environment.

Objective

To synthesize existing literature on eco-nursing roles and competencies for nurses.

Methods

A scoping review of published papers examined nurses' roles and eco-nursing competencies. Databases searched included Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE (PubMed), and Google Scholar. Search terms encompassed climate change and nursing synonyms, limited to English articles up to April 15, 2023. Thematic analysis was used to synthesize findings, delineating roles, and eco-nursing competencies. Results were tabulated.

Results

Out of 445 papers identified, 31 underwent data analysis. These papers highlighted nurses' roles in climate change (42%), along with climate change knowledge and skills (64.5%), and attitudes (13%). Roles encompassed research, education, advocacy, leadership, and clinical practice, with corresponding competencies embedded within existing core competencies for general nurses, nurse specialists, and nurse managers.

Conclusion

The review demonstrates that nurses' roles in climate change necessitate relevant knowledge, attitudes, and skills. Future research should contextualize these roles and eco-nursing competencies based on geographical locations, considering the distinct disease burden in each area.

Registration

The study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework on 5 March 2023 before conducting the full study https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/9GC4N.

Tweetable abstract

Amidst growing concerns about climate change, nurses are increasingly tasked with preparing to mitigate its health impacts through the delineation of eco-nursing competencies. These competencies will equip nurses to effectively tackle the health and environmental ramifications of climate change, building upon existing core competencies tailored to various geographic contexts.

Practicing nurses' and nursing students' perceptions of climate change: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Human activities have significantly contributed to a persistent climate change trend, posing substantial threats to human health. Nurses regularly interact with patients experiencing the consequences of climate change, making their engagement in addressing this issue crucial. Nonetheless, our understanding of nurses' viewpoints regarding climate change remains limited.

AIM

This scoping review aims to identify practicing nurses' and nursing students' perceptions of climate change.

DESIGN

To fulfil this objective, a documentary search strategy was developed using an iterative process.

METHODS

The search strategy was tested in four bibliographic databases, as well as in the grey literature. A 2-stage selection process was conducted, and relevant data were extracted from selected articles for analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-two scientific articles and 11 documents from nursing associations were selected. The findings suggest that while many nurses and nursing students are concerned about climate change and its effects on their patients' health, their role in addressing the climate crisis is not well understood. Many barriers such as having a heavy workload and the lack of support hindered their ability to adjust their practice in response to the changing climate. Furthermore, many expressed a need for trainings on climate change issues.

CONCLUSIONS

These results raise a great and urgent demand for these professionals to receive appropriate training to cope with climatic threats to health. Future research should focus on the development of nursing climate leadership, and healthcare organizations should support nursing initiatives and help raise nurses' awareness regarding climate change.

Nursing students' awareness of global climate change: A descriptive and cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to determine nursing students' awareness of global climate change.

DESIGN

This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 302 undergraduate nursing students from a foundation university in Northern Cyprus during the spring semester of the 2021-2022 academic year. A descriptive information form and the Awareness Scale of University Students about Global Climate Change (ASUSGCC) were used for data collection.

RESULTS

The mean ASUSGCC score was 3.54 ± 0.64, and the participants received the lowest and highest scores from the awareness of the causes of global climate change (3.54 ± 0.64) and awareness of the effects of global climate change on the natural and human environment (4.03 ± 0.70) subscales, respectively. A statistically significant difference was observed between the Global Climate Change scores and the year of education, with fourth-year students obtaining significantly higher scores (p < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

The study found that nursing students have a moderate level of awareness of global climate change. To raise the level of awareness among these undergraduates, who will be future healthcare professionals, we recommend including climate change awareness in the national nursing curricula.

Relationship between nursing students' global climate change awareness, climate change anxiety and sustainability attitudes in nursing: a descriptive and cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

As a major global health threat, climate change is an important issue for nurses who play a pivotal role in health protection and improvement, and in the development of climate-smart healthcare systems. Sustainability attitudes in nursing should be developed together with awareness and concern for climate change.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between nursing students' global climate change awareness, climate change anxiety, and sustainability attitudes in nursing.

METHODS

This descriptive, correlational study was conducted with 289 nursing students at a state university. Data were collected using the Descriptive Characteristics Form, the Global Climate Change Awareness Scale, the Climate Change Anxiety Scale, and the Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey. Mean and percentage distributions, the Independent Samples t-test, ANOVA test, Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The STROBE checklist was used to report this study.

RESULTS

Global climate change awareness of the nursing students was at a moderate level, and the levels of climate change anxiety and sustainability attitudes in nursing were above average. There was determined to be a moderate positive correlation between climate change awareness and sustainability attitude in nursing, between anxiety and sustainability attitude in nursing, and between climate change awareness and anxiety. Climate change awareness and anxiety explained 25.1% of the sustainability attitude in nursing.

CONCLUSIONS

The study provides evidence of the relationship between nursing students' global climate change awareness and anxiety, and sustainability attitudes in nursing. It can be recommended that climate change and sustainability awareness-raising content are integrated into the nursing curriculum. The development of a sustainability attitude in nursing will contribute to the development of sustainable and low-carbon healthcare practices.

Nature-friendly hands: The relationship between nursing students' climate change anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and anxiety about the future

AIM/OBJECTIVE

This study examined the relationship between climate change anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and future anxiety levels of nursing students.

BACKGROUND

The effects of climate change, an important global problem, on people's emotional and intellectual states are becoming increasingly important. It is important to understand to what extent prospective health professionals, such as nursing students, are affected by such environmental concerns and the possible impact of this level on their professional behaviors to develop an environmentally focused approach to health services.

DESIGN

This study was conducted using a descriptive and correlational design.

METHODS

Students enrolled in the Nursing Undergraduate Program of a university in Turkey in the 2023-2024 academic year participated in the study. The participants were administered a personal information form, climate change anxiety scale, intolerance of uncertainty scale, and future anxiety scale in university students. The data were evaluated using advanced statistical analyses, and relationships were examined.

RESULTS

As a result of these analyses, it was determined that there was a significant relationship between future anxiety and climate change anxiety in university students (R = 0.234, p = .000). In addition, there was a substantial relationship between climate change anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty (R = 0.562, p = .000).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings indicate significant and linear relationships between nursing students' emotional and cognitive states associated with environmental factors such as climate change, uncertainty, and future anxiety. Developing support and interventions in nursing education is crucial to help students cope with these issues and function more effectively in their future professional lives.

Climate change integration in nursing education: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

The environmental impacts of climate change such as extreme weather, affects human physical and mental health; therefore, including climate change and health is important in nursing education. Despite the recognition of the link between climate change and health, this important knowledge has not yet been systematically integrated into nursing curricula, highlighting the need for immediate action to prepare nurses for these emerging human health challenges.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this review was to gain an overview of the existing literature exploring climate change in nursing curricula and answer following questions: DESIGN: Scoping review.

METHODS

A protocol was created and reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist (PRISMA-SrC). Five data bases were searched: CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, PubMed, Scopus and Cochraine, in addition to databases, grey literature was searched from different sources (reference lists, Google). A total of 1055 articles were derived from the search and 47 articles were included in this review. After selection results from selected studies on educational interventions and climate change education, and opinion pieces were charted, followed by a team review and consensus on the findings.

CONCLUSION

This review shows the importance of integrating the topic of climate change into nursing curricula. This integration of climate change-related content into nursing curricula is essential for preparing students, not just for their future roles in healthcare, but also their role in policy and climate justice. These results also reflect strong support from students for that integration. But while progress has been made, further research is essential to evaluate the impacts of these teaching strategies on nursing education.

Nursing students' and educators' perspectives on sustainability and climate change: An integrative review

AIM

To identify and synthesize research on the awareness, attitudes and action related to sustainability and climate change from the perspective of nursing students and educators globally.

DESIGN

Integrative review.

METHODS

The review was guided by Whittemore and Knafl. Included studies were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. A deductive content analysis based on Elo and Kyngäs' methodology was employed.

DATA SOURCES

CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, British Education Index, GreenFILE and Scopus were searched up to the 8th November 2022.

RESULTS

Thirty-two studies were included in the review. Two studies included nursing educators in their samples, the rest focused solely on students. Findings suggest that whilst some students were aware of sustainability issues and felt that nurses have a responsibility to mitigate climate change, others showed limited awareness and believed that nurses have more important priorities. A global interest was seen among students for increased curricular content related to sustainability and climate change. Waste management and education of others were suggested actions students can take; however, barriers included lack of confidence and limited power.

CONCLUSION

There is a need for sustainability education within nursing curricula, accompanied by student support.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION

The review acts as a starting point to make sustainable healthcare and climate change mitigation integral aspects of nursing.

IMPACT

Sustainability education within nursing curricula can positively impact on sustainable healthcare and climate change mitigation. More research is needed on the perspectives of nursing educators.

REPORTING METHOD

The review is reported according to the PRISMA guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

No Patient or Public Contribution.

The role of imaging in the diagnosis of potential air pollution related illness: A narrative review

INTRODUCTION

The World Health Organization (WHO) emphasizes the global issue of poor air quality, largely attributed to the release of pollutants by human activity. In a significant development, air pollution was officially recorded as a cause of death in the UK for the first time in 2021, prompting the creation of the Clean Air Bill and campaigns to reduce emissions. In light of these developments, this paper aims to map available literature on air pollution-related illnesses, with a specific focus on the role of radiographic imaging in their diagnosis.

METHOD

A scoping review was conducted using the Scopus, Trip Medical Database, and CINAHL databases. Key terms such as "air pollution" and "imaging" and inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. A critiquing framework assessed the quality, rigor, and transparency of research. Data from each study was extracted and extrapolated into a thematic matrix to display the results.

RESULTS

A review of ten papers comprising four systematic reviews, four cohort studies, and two longitudinal studies found nine different pollutants implicated in various diseases. Seven papers focused on brain pathological changes, two on lung function, and one on cardiovascular changes. Eight studies used Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), and two used Computed Tomography (CT) scans.

CONCLUSION

The findings revealed nine different air pollutants were mentioned across a range of CT and MRI imaging modalities in the studies. Dementia was the most referenced illness. The results suggest that air pollution-related illnesses will continue to pose a significant health risk, impacting the general population and the clinical work of the radiography profession.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Given the diverse effects of air pollutants on health, it is important radiographers are educated on how patient's history may influence imaging findings.

Climate change worry among nurses and their hope levels for climate change prevention

AIM

This research aimed to determine nurses' climate change worry, their level of hope for climate change prevention, and the relationship between climate change worry and hope for climate change.

BACKGROUND

Nurses are healthcare professionals actively involved in the fight against climate change. However, their close involvement with the issue can also increase their own climate change worry. Therefore, it is important to maintain high levels of hope among nurses in preventing climate change.

METHODS

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with nurses working at a university hospital.

RESULTS

The average score on the Climate Change Worry Scale for nurses was 29.22 ± 9.33, with sub-dimensions scores as follows: personal-sphere will and way 10.96 ± 2.09; collective sphere will 18.36 ± 3.39; lack of will and way dimensions 10.40 ± 2.48. The average score on the climate change hope scale was 39.73 ± 5.52. A statistically significant positive relationship was found between age and the climate change worry scale (r = 0.169, p = 0.020) as well as climate change hope (r = 0.148, p = 0.041).

CONCLUSION

The research findings indicate that nurses have a high level of climate change worry, but they also have a high level of hope in preventing climate change. It is considered essential to address the concerns of nurses who are actively combating the climate crisis.

Health science students' preparedness for climate change: a scoping review on knowledge, attitudes, and practices

INTRODUCTION

Climate change (CC) is a global public health issue, and the role of health professionals in addressing its impact is crucial. However, to what extent health professionals are prepared to deal with CC-related health problems is unclear. We aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of health students about the CC.

METHODS

We conducted a scoping review through systematic searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Proquest, and EBSCO. We included original scientific research with no language or time restrictions. Two authors independently reviewed and decided on the eligibility of the studies, then performed data extraction.

RESULTS

21 studies were included, with a total of 9205 undergraduate nursing, medical, pharmacy, and public health students mainly. Most health science students (> 75%) recognized human activities as the main cause of CC. However, they perceived a lack of knowledge on how to address CC. Moreover, we found inadequate coverage or limited development of CC in related curricula that may contribute to incomplete learning or low confidence in the theoretical and practical concepts of students.

CONCLUSION

The findings of our scoping review suggest that while health sciences students possess a general understanding of CC, there is a significant gap in their knowledge regarding its specific health impacts. To address this gap, there is a need for targeted education and training for future health care professionals that emphasizes the health effects of CC.

School of Nursing Climate Commitment: Nursing Faculty Bring Climate to the Classroom

In 2021, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) added "the impact of climate change on environmental and population health" into The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education. Presently, little guidance exists for nursing faculty new to climate education. The year prior, the Nurses Climate Challenge (NCC)-a campaign to educate 50,000 health professionals about health impacts of climate change-launched the School of Nursing Commitment through a series of focus groups and collaborative content development. With an aim of increasing access to knowledge and tools to support education about the health impacts of climate change, the NCC Commitment partners with nursing schools and provides a community of practice. Partner schools use NCC resources in courses and report the number of students educated. Within three years, 61 nursing schools in 30 states joined the Commitment. Participants included academic health centers, research institutions, multi-state schools, and small private colleges, and programs ranged from AD to PhD. Faculty (1) integrated resources into didactic and clinical settings, such as population or organ-system content, leadership, and policy; and (2) used resources to support assignments. In four years, faculty reported educating over 37,700 students, using NCC resources in 439 educational sessions. The Commitment may be valuable for faculty fulfilling AACN Essentials by bringing climate change to the classroom, community, and bedside. Furthermore, the Commitment may be a replicable model for health professional education and inspiring action on climate change.

Exploring the relationship between nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards climate change and their psychological distress: a cross-national investigation

BACKGROUND

Climate change poses a worldwide challenge with anticipated exacerbation in the future, resulting in irreversible consequences. Nursing students may be vulnerable to experiencing psychological effects associated with climate change.

AIM

The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between nursing students' knowledge and attitudes toward climate change and their psychological distress.

METHOD

This descriptive cross-sectional study recruited 377 nursing students from three universities located in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt in the Middle East. Data collection was conducted using scales for assessing nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards climate change and their psychological distress. Correlations were assessed and multiple regression analysis was conducted to explore the predictors of students' psychological distress.

RESULTS

The current study showed that knowledge regarding climate change significantly and positively correlated to the attitude toward climate change (r = 0.213), then again, the score of psychological distress significantly and negatively correlated to the score of students' knowledge and attitude regarding climate change (r = - 0.182 and - 0.110 respectively). Regression analyses showed that academic achievement had the strongest positive impact on students' psychological distress, while knowledge regarding climate change and attitude toward climate change had negative impacts (β = 0.381, β=-0.205, and β=-0.045 respectively). Moreover, knowledge and attitude regarding climate change were found to be significant predictors of students' psychological distress, collectively accounting for 18.2% of the observed variance.

CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATION FOR FUTURE PRACTICE

The findings highlight the importance of incorporating climate change into nursing education programs. By enhancing nursing students' knowledge and attitudes towards climate change, there is potential to reduce their psychological distress. This study underscores the need for curriculum reforms that integrate climate change topics, aiming to foster a well-informed and resilient future nursing workforce.

Determinants of Turkish nursing students' attitudes towards sustainable development and knowledge of climate change: A descriptive and correlational study

BACKGROUND

Nurses are in a unique position to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, and to prevent and intervene in climate change. Determining nursing students' levels of attitudes and knowledge on this subject is important in determining the content of nursing education programs.

OBJECTIVES

To determine the nursing students' attitudes towards sustainable development and their knowledge of climate change, and to identify determinants associated with these parameters.

DESIGN

A descriptive and correlational design was used.

SETTINGS

National Student Nurses' Association in Turkey.

PARTICIPANTS

The sample of study consisted of 481 nursing students who were members of the National Student Nurses' Association.

METHODS

Data were collected online with the descriptive characteristics' questionnaire, the Attitudes Towards Sustainable Development Scale, and the Climate Change Knowledge Test. We used Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman correlation analysis to analyze the data obtained from the scales.

RESULTS

The participants' mean sustainable development attitude score was 82.61 ± 12.69 and mean climate change knowledge score was 6.47 ± 1.44. There was a relationship between the sustainable development attitude and the variables such as gender, grade, warning people around them to be sensitive about environmental pollution, following the news about environmental problems, taking precautions about sustainable development and climate change in daily life, and receiving education about sustainable development and climate change in the nursing education. There was a relationship between climate change knowledge and the variables such as gender, grade, membership in an environmental organization, method of keeping up with environmental issues, and receiving education on sustainable development and climate change in nursing education.

CONCLUSION

Although the students displayed favorable attitudes towards sustainable development at a good level, their knowledge of climate change was not adequate. Thus, we recommend that sustainable development and climate change issues should be integrated into nursing education curricula to improve students' attitudes towards and knowledge and awareness of sustainable development and climate change.

Understanding nurses' experience of climate change and then climate action in Western Canada

AIM

To understand nurses' personal and professional experiences with the heat dome, drought and forest fires of 2021 and how those events impacted their perspectives on climate action.

DESIGN

A naturalistic inquiry using qualitative description.

METHOD

Twelve nurses from the interior of British Columbia, Canada, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Thematic analysis was employed. No patient or public involvement.

RESULTS

Data analysis yielded three themes to describe nurses' perspective on climate change: health impacts; climate action and system influences. These experiences contributed to nurses' beliefs about climate change, how to take climate action in their personal lives and their challenges enacting climate action in their workplace settings.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses' challenges with enacting environmentally responsible practices in their workplace highlight the need for engagement throughout institutions in supporting environmentally friendly initiatives.

IMPACT

The importance of system-level changes in healthcare institutions for planetary health.

The relationship between nursing students' environmental literacy and awareness of Global Climate Change

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to examine the correlation between environmental literacy and levels of awareness of global climate change in nursing students.

DESIGN

The cross-sectional and correlational design.

SAMPLE

476 undergraduate nursing students METHODS: Data were collected with The Personal Information Form, the Awareness Scale of University Students about Global Climate Change, and Environmental Literacy Scale for Adults in March 2023. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and linear regression analysis (stepwise method) were used to analyze the data.

RESULTS

The mean scores of the Environmental Literacy Scale and the Awareness Scale of University Students about Global Climate Change Scale were 87.31 ± 8.61 and 75.60 ± 14.86, respectively. A positive correlation was found between the awareness of global climate change and environmental literacy (p < 0.05). As participation in meetings on environmental problems, environmental concerns and awareness increased, awareness of global climate change increased.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing students had high levels of awareness of global climate change and environmental literacy. The awareness of nursing students on climate change and their environmental literacy levels are highly important in protecting public health against the adverse effects of climate change and reducing climate change through effective resource management in health services in the future. It is recommended that integrate courses related to environment health to curriculum of nursing school and in-service training during healthcare. The study draws attention to the Sustainable Development Goals related to climate change.

Awareness, worry, and hope regarding climate change among nurses: A cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to determine nurses' awareness, worry and hope levels about climate change.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted with 511 nurses. Data were collected using a Personal Information Form, the Global Climate Change Awareness Scale, the Climate Change Worry Scale, and the Climate Change Hope Scale.

FINDINGS

The mean scores of the participating nurses obtained from the Climate Change Awareness Scale (71.72 ± 18.11) and Climate Change Worry Scale (35.36 ± 10.51) and Climate Change Hope Scale (38.67 ± 8.80) were moderate, and there was a significant positive correlation between them.

CONCLUSIONS

The nurses who participated in this study had moderate levels of climate change-related awareness, worry, and hope. As their climate change awareness scores increased, their worry and hope scores also increased. Interventions that will raise climate change awareness in nurses such as education programs and awareness campaigns may increase their levels of worry and hope that will mobilize them for the solution to the climate change problem.

A cross-sectional study to assess faculty and student knowledge of climate change and health: Readiness for curricular integration

AIMS

To examine the perceived knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding climate change and health of academic faculty and students in programmes for health professionals and to identify barriers/facilitators to and resources required for curriculum integration.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey eliciting quantitative and open-ended responses.

METHODS

A 22-question survey to assess climate-health knowledge/attitudes/beliefs was distributed to all students and faculty (n = 224) at one academic institution in the United States. Open-ended questions addressed barriers, facilitators and required resources. Descriptive statistics are reported, and thematic analysis was used to identify themes from open-ended responses.

RESULTS

Response rate was 15%. Most respondents (76%) were between 20 and 34 years old. The majority were from nursing (39%), occupational therapy (13%) and communication speech disorders (12.5%). Most respondents perceived climate change as relevant to direct patient care (78%) and believed that it is impacting the health of individuals (86%) and should be integrated into curricula (89%). Yet, most (60%) reported modest to no knowledge about the health impacts. Faculty reported little to no comfort teaching climate change and health concepts (76%). Open-ended responses identified student/faculty receptivity and professional/clinical relevance as important facilitators of successful integration. Barriers included intensity of programmes; time and competing curricular priorities; and a lack of faculty expertise, resources, institutional and professional commitment.

CONCLUSIONS

Most health professions students and faculty indicated that educating future health professionals about climate change and health is important, but existing barriers must be addressed.

IMPACT

This study addressed student and faculty perceptions of integrating climate change and health into health professions curricula. Discipline-specific and interprofessional educational approaches are necessary to optimize future health professionals' efforts to prevent and mitigate climate change impacts for at-risk patients, communities and populations.

Climate, Health, and Nursing Tool (CHANT): A confirmatory factor analysis

OBJECTIVE

To confirm the factor structure of the Climate, Health, and Nursing Tool (CHANT) tool via confirmatory factor analysis.

DESIGN AND SAMPLE

This is a cross-sectional analysis of voluntary, anonymous responses collected online in 2019, from a non-representative sample of 489 nurses from 12 nations with 95% of the respondents from the United States.

MEASUREMENTS

A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test a five-factor measurement model of the 22-item CHANT. Reliability was examined via Cronbach's α coefficient.

RESULTS

The five CHANT subscales demonstrated acceptable reliability with Cronbach's α ranging from 0.67 to 0.91. The five-factor model of CHANT demonstrated good fit, x2 (199) = 582.747, p < .001, CFI = 0.94, RMSEA = 0.06, and SRMR = 0.04 with statistically significant item-factor loadings.

CONCLUSION

CHANT is a reliable and robust instrument to measure nurses' awareness, concern, motivation, and home and work behaviors regarding climate change and health, and is ready to be utilized in research, policy, professional settings, and among educators.

Adapting to a changing climate: indigenous biotic rainfall forecasting in Western Zambia

Forecasting rainfall at the local scale to inform farm-level decisions is complex and it remains an unresolved problem with dire implications for food security. Here, we examine indigenous knowledge forecasting systems used by smallholder farmers in Maondo Agriculture Camp (MAC) of Sesheke District in the Western Province of Zambia to increase their climate change adaptive capacity at the farm level. We adopted a qualitative approach that uses an exploratory-descriptive design. We then used purposive sampling, a non-probability methodological approach, to choose respondents. We applied semi-structured interviews and questionnaires as data collection tools and examined the data using thematic content analysis. We found that > 50% of small-scale farmers receive forecasts produced by the Zambia Meteorological Department (ZMD) through stakeholders' meetings. Farmers who do not receive ZMD forecasts depend on indigenous knowledge systems. Results further indicate that farmers in the MAC combine several indicators to predict rainfall. Prominent among them include plants, weather-related parameters, and astrological indicators. A cursory inspection of these rainfall predictors revealed several points specifically highlighting three salient thematic contents, i.e. biological, meteorological, and astrological. Results further showed that both conventional science and indigenous knowledge used to forecast rainfall have strengths and weaknesses. We, therefore, conclude that the integration of the two methods has the potential to significantly improve rainfall forecasts and ultimately agricultural productivity at the farm level.

Effectiveness of scenario-based learning and augmented reality for nursing students' attitudes and awareness toward climate change and sustainability

Background

Mainstreaming sustainable healthcare into the curricula of health professions is a key action to raise awareness and change attitudes. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the contribution of scenario-based learning and augmented reality to the environmental awareness and attitudes toward climate change and sustainability among undergraduate nursing students.

Methods

This study was designed as a time-series analysis. Undergraduate nursing students in their 3 years were introduced to sustainability and climate change in the context of healthcare through scenario-based learning sessions. Questionnaires were used to collect data on participants’ attitudes towards sustainability and climate change, the usefulness of the educational sessions and the extent to which students changed their clinical practice. A data summary, related sample Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to test for differences in survey scores.

Results

Attitudes and environmental awareness toward climate change and sustainability increased significantly as students received the learning sessions over the 3 years. After their first clinical training period, students already showed a high awareness of unsustainable practices in their working environment; however, they still struggled to apply sustainability and address unsustainable practices in healthcare settings. Most students felt that the scenarios helped them to make links between climate change, resources, and health.

Conclusions

The scenario-based learning and augmented reality increase environmental awareness and attitudes toward climate change and sustainability among nursing students. Students are very aware of unsustainable practices in their work environment, but more work needs to be done on the application of sustainability principles to nursing practice.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-01023-9.