Factors affecting environmental sustainability attitudes among nurses - Focusing on climate change cognition and behaviours: A cross-sectional study.

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between climate change cognition and behaviours (awareness, concern, motivation, behaviours at home and behaviours at work), positive and negative future cognition, and environmental sustainability attitudes in nurses and to identify the factors affecting environmental sustainability attitudes.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional study.

METHODS: In total, 358 nurses currently working in tertiary hospitals in Korea were recruited. Data were collected using an online questionnaire link from 1 August to 7 August 2022. Climate change cognition and behaviours were measured using the Korean version of the Climate, Health, and Nursing Tool. Positive and negative future cognition were measured using the Korean version of the Future Event Questionnaire. Environmental sustainability attitude was measured using the Korean version of the Sustainability Attitudes in Nursing Survey-2. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the factors affecting environmental sustainability attitudes.

RESULTS: Motivation, concern and behaviours at work were factors affecting environmental sustainability attitudes. Motivation was a pivotal influencing factor. Better scores for environmental sustainability attitudes were specifically correlated with higher scores for motivation, concern and behaviours at work.

CONCLUSIONS: Nurses' motivation, climate change concern and pro-environmental workplace practices should all be considered to improve their attitudes towards environmental sustainability.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: To enhance nurses' environmental sustainability attitudes and behaviours, nurse educators must educate them to increase their motivation for climate action.

IMPACT: Nurses are increasingly expected to contribute to environmental sustainability. Hence, awareness of climate change and environmental sustainability among nurses must be improved, and nursing engagement and action encouraged. Nurse educators and managers should explore barriers to pro-environmental behaviour engagement among nurses, examine workplace cultures that encourage pro-environmental behaviours and develop policies/regulations to develop more environmentally sustainable workplaces.

REPORTING METHOD: We adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: Neither patients nor the public were involved in our research's design, conduct, reporting or dissemination plans. The nurses partook in this study exclusively as research participants and were not involved in any research process.