Knowledge and Behavior Assessment about the Use of Disposable Plastic Containers amongst Medical Sciences Students in Northeastern Iran in 2016

Disposable Plastic Containers (DPCs) are widely in use in our daily life in many locations and times. Despite their great advantages including low cost, easy access, convenient transferring and no need to clean up, the indiscriminate use of them can be a concern, if they are not applied in the correct way of usage. This study aimed to assess the student's knowledge, and behavior regarding the correct use of DPCs. A questionnaire was designed using scientific literatures and health expert consultation. The resulting 26-item scale which included questions for sample characteristics (N=4), knowledge (N=19), and behavior (N=3) was approved in terms of reliability regarding Cronbach's alpha score of 0.8. Developed instrument was administered to a cross section of 200 students of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in mid-2016. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16.0. Results indicated that 59.3% of the individuals had used DPCs more than once. Only 5.8% of the respondents were familiar with safety codes on the bottom of DPCs. The differences in the mean score of knowledge were not statistically significant in terms of gender, marriage status, level of education, and college. Considering total knowledge score of 18 on the designed scale, the maximum score of knowledge was observed in men (5.88±2.26), in married ones (6.11±2.55), in PhD students (6.5±2.39), and in dental college (6.31±2.65). According to the results, the students’ knowledge regarding the safe use of DPCs was very low (less than one third of the ideal knowledge) and their usage behavior was also relatively false.