Research Article

Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara

Volume: 9 Number: 5 September 19, 2026
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine Cover
Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine
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Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to assess carbon footprint awareness among undergraduate students enrolled in a faculty of health sciences at a public university in Ankara, Turkiye, and to examine whether awareness levels differed according to selected sociodemographic characteristics, including gender, academic year, department, housing arrangement, and hometown type. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 416 students selected through proportional stratified sampling across six departments. Data were collected using a personal information form and the Carbon Footprint Awareness Scale, a validated 50-item instrument comprising 10-subscales rated. Confirmatory factor analysis provided partial support for the structure. Following assessment of distributional assumptions, homogeneity of variance, and influential outliers, parametric tests were adopted as the primary analytical approach, with corresponding non-parametric tests reported as a sensitivity analysis Results: The mean Carbon Footprint Awareness Scale score was 5.18, indicating moderately high awareness, with high internal consistency. Female students scored significantly higher than males. Significant interdepartmental differences were identified; child development and social work recorded the highest scores, whereas nutrition and dietetics and orthotics and prosthetics recorded the lowest scores. Academic year showed a statistically significant but negligible-to-small effect, with no pairwise comparison reaching significance after correction for multiple testing. Housing type and hometown size were not significantly associated with awareness. Conclusion: Health sciences undergraduates demonstrate a moderately high level of awareness of their carbon footprint. Departmental variation was the most pronounced finding, underscoring the need for discipline-specific sustainability education. Gender differences were modest and should be interpreted as a secondary finding.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK)

Project Number

1919B012534897

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Ankara University Ethics Committee (Decision No: 20/259, Date: December 1, 2025) in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and written institutional permission was granted by the Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara University.

Thanks

The authors thank all the participants for their valuable contributions to this study.

References

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  7. Li X, Tan H, Rackes A. Carbon footprint analysis of student behavior for a sustainable university campus in China. J Clean Prod. 2015;106:97-108. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.11.084
  8. Özgen U, Demirci Aksoy A. Tüketicilerin ekolojik ayak izi farkındalık düzeyleri (Ankara ili örneği). Üçüncü Sektör Sosyal Ekonomi. 2017;52(3): 46-65. doi:10.15659/3.sektor-sosyal-ekonomi.17.11.790

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Health Systems

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Publication Date

September 19, 2026

Submission Date

July 1, 2026

Acceptance Date

August 22, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 9 Number: 5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1983418

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA88CF36ZR

Cite

RIS / Bibtex
APA
Aydın, R. Ş., Altun, F., Aksu, B. N., Akyüz, Ö., Bayındır, C., & Öner, N. (2026). Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara. Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine, 9(5), 1487-1494. https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1983418
AMA
1.Aydın RŞ, Altun F, Aksu BN, Akyüz Ö, Bayındır C, Öner N. Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara. J Health Sci Med / JHSM. 2026;9(5):1487-1494. doi:10.32322/jhsm.1983418
Chicago
Aydın, Rojbin Şerda, Fazlı Altun, Büşra Nur Aksu, Öykü Akyüz, Ceren Bayındır, and Nurettin Öner. 2026. “Carbon Footprint Awareness Among Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara”. Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine 9 (5): 1487-94. https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1983418.
EndNote
Aydın RŞ, Altun F, Aksu BN, Akyüz Ö, Bayındır C, Öner N (September 1, 2026) Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara. Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine 9 5 1487–1494.
IEEE
[1]R. Ş. Aydın, F. Altun, B. N. Aksu, Ö. Akyüz, C. Bayındır, and N. Öner, “Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara”, J Health Sci Med / JHSM, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 1487–1494, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.32322/jhsm.1983418.
ISNAD
Aydın, Rojbin Şerda - Altun, Fazlı - Aksu, Büşra Nur - Akyüz, Öykü - Bayındır, Ceren - Öner, Nurettin. “Carbon Footprint Awareness Among Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara”. Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine 9/5 (September 1, 2026): 1487-1494. https://doi.org/10.32322/jhsm.1983418.
JAMA
1.Aydın RŞ, Altun F, Aksu BN, Akyüz Ö, Bayındır C, Öner N. Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara. J Health Sci Med / JHSM. 2026;9:1487–1494.
MLA
Aydın, Rojbin Şerda, et al. “Carbon Footprint Awareness Among Health Sciences Students: A Cross-Sectional Study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara”. Journal of Health Sciences and Medicine, vol. 9, no. 5, Sept. 2026, pp. 1487-94, doi:10.32322/jhsm.1983418.
Vancouver
1.Rojbin Şerda Aydın, Fazlı Altun, Büşra Nur Aksu, Öykü Akyüz, Ceren Bayındır, Nurettin Öner. Carbon footprint awareness among health sciences students: a cross-sectional study at the Faculty of Health Sciences of a University in Ankara. J Health Sci Med / JHSM. 2026 Sep. 1;9(5):1487-94. doi:10.32322/jhsm.1983418

 

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