A cross-sectional study on the knowledge of and interest in Planetary Health in health-related study programmes in Germany

  • Planetary Health connects human health with the natural and anthropogenic systems on which it depends. Planetary Health education has been growing in a wide range of health-related disciplines, yet not been widely implemented in health-related university curricula. This cross-sectional study focused on students' knowledge of and interest in Planetary Health education in order to assess the relevance of Planetary Health and Planetary Health topics for university students and their fields of study. We surveyed 1,303 students enrolled in health-related programmes in Bavaria, Germany. Data was collected on students' previous knowledge of and interest in Planetary Health, as well as the relevance of different Planetary Health topics and students' willingness to select a Planetary Health elective within their study programmes. Descriptive statistics were calculated. The majority of participants (73.8%) had not yet heard of Planetary Health but were interested in learning more about thisPlanetary Health connects human health with the natural and anthropogenic systems on which it depends. Planetary Health education has been growing in a wide range of health-related disciplines, yet not been widely implemented in health-related university curricula. This cross-sectional study focused on students' knowledge of and interest in Planetary Health education in order to assess the relevance of Planetary Health and Planetary Health topics for university students and their fields of study. We surveyed 1,303 students enrolled in health-related programmes in Bavaria, Germany. Data was collected on students' previous knowledge of and interest in Planetary Health, as well as the relevance of different Planetary Health topics and students' willingness to select a Planetary Health elective within their study programmes. Descriptive statistics were calculated. The majority of participants (73.8%) had not yet heard of Planetary Health but were interested in learning more about this field (90.7%). Most participants considered Planetary Health as relevant to their field (81.6%) and would likely choose a Planetary Health elective (81.9%). Participants were most interested in topics about general associations between climate and health as well as its connections with mental health and (micro) plastics. There is an urgent need and high student interest to implement a Planetary Health module in health-related study programmes in order to move this topic more into focus for the next generation of students.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Vera Klünder, Paula Schwenke, Elke HertigORCiDGND, Carmen Jochem, Irena Kaspar-OttORCiDGND, Eva-Maria Schwienhorst-Stich, Lisa Stauch, Michaela Coenen
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:384-opus4-992566
Frontdoor URLhttps://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/99256
ISSN:2296-2565OPAC
Parent Title (English):Frontiers in Public Health
Publisher:Frontiers Media S.A.
Place of publication:Lausanne
Type:Article
Language:English
Date of first Publication:2022/10/31
Publishing Institution:Universität Augsburg
Release Date:2022/11/15
Tag:climate change; Planetary Health; student; health; higher education
Volume:10
First Page:937854
DOI:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.937854
Institutes:Medizinische Fakultät
Medizinische Fakultät / Professur für Regionalen Klimawandel und Gesundheit
Nachhaltigkeitsziele
Nachhaltigkeitsziele / Ziel 13 - Maßnahmen zum Klimaschutz
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Licence (German):CC-BY 4.0: Creative Commons: Namensnennung (mit Print on Demand)