Risk perceptions, attitude and practice towards environmental health issues among students in a selected disaster affected area of Bangladesh: A call for environmental campaigns

Background Understanding environmental health issues is crucial in disaster-affected areas due to their significant impact on individuals' health and well-being. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the risk perception, attitude and practices towards environmental health issues among college and university students in Sirajganj, Bangladesh, an area affected by disasters. Methods Data was collected through a face-to-face survey with 743 participants (university and college students), selected using a convenience sampling method. Frequency analysis, chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were employed for data analysis. Results Risk perception of environmental health issues among participants was high. But the attitude ( M  = 3.83) and practice ( M  = 3.52) level of participants were low. Logistic regression analysis found that females and people living in urban areas had 0.32 and 0.30 times less perceived risk factors for environmental health issues, respectively. The practice levels among females and urban residents were respectively 2.70 and 1.73 times higher (AOR: 2.70, 95% CI: 1.82–4.02, p < 0.001 and AOR: 1.73, 95% CI: 1.16–2.56, p = 0.007). Students of commerce faculty had 8.66 times higher attitude (AOR = 8.66, 95% CI: 5.56–13.58, p < 0.001) than other faculty’s students. Conclusion Considering the findings, the study emphasised the need of including environment health issue awareness in all curricular teachings. This could be achieved through the inclusion of such topics in textbooks and by organising environmental communication campaigns, such as workshops, seminars, and creative media initiatives, in colleges and universities to actively engage audiences in adopting practices to safeguard their health from environment-related health issues. Local NGOs and governments may play a crucial role in providing the necessary resources to implement improved environmental health practices.