Determination of Ecological Footprint Awareness and Ecological Intelligence Levels of Nurses Working in a University Hospital

Objective: This study aimed to determine the ecological footprint awareness and ecological intelligence levels of nurses working in a hospital.

Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 290 nurses working in a hospital. The study data were collected using a descriptive questionnaire, "Ecological Intelligence Scale", and "Ecological Footprint Awareness Scale". Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v23. The conformity of the data to the normal distribution was examined using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Pearson Correlation analysis and Regression analysis were used to determine and explain the relationships between variables.

Results: The mean age of the nurses in the study was 34.30 ± 8.53 and 85.9% were female. A statistically significant relationship was found between nurses' membership in an environmental association or organization (β = 0.192; p = 0.001) and their reaction to individuals who pollute the environment (β = 0.208; p = 0.001) and ecological intelligence. In addition, a statistically significant relationship was found between nurses' gender (β = 0.121; p = 0.041) and their reaction to individuals who pollute the environment and ecological footprint awareness (β = 0.165; p = 0.006). As the age and professional seniority of nurses increases, their ecological footprint awareness also increases (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: As the age and working years of nurses increase, their awareness of ecological footprint also increases. As nurses' ecological intelligence increases, their awareness of their ecological footprint also increases. Female nurses have higher ecological footprint awareness than male nurses.