Perceptions of medical students regarding dimensions of environmental wellness

Objective: To explore the status of awareness on environmental wellness in medical students of Karachi. Methods: The cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was carried out at Bahria University Medical & Dental College, Karachi, from January 2009 to July 2013, and comprised randomly selected medical students. The response options were; never, sometimes, mostly and always (numbered 0-4) and these were analysed in terms of frequency, proportion and percentages by Predictive analysis software version 18. Results: Out of 800 questionnaires distributed, 736(92%) were received fully completed. There were 210(28.5%) male and 526(71.5%) female respondents, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:2.5. Female medical students were more serious in taking care of their environment tasks (p<0.0001). They knew their responsibility to preserve environment and consciously tried to conserve energy more than the male students (p=0.034). The proportions of admitting disposal of garbage in dustbins was found more in females than males (p<0.0005). Though 486(66%) participants were interested in knowing about environmental problems, females tended to be more in liking greenery in their place of residence (p<0.0005) and lived in harmony with nature and universe (p<0.001). Conclusion: Medical students were aware of the concept of environmental wellness, but female medical students had a better perception and were a step ahead in its realisation.