Nurses' Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Regarding Climate Change and Its Impact on Children's Health in Egyptian Hospitals: A Comparative Study

Introduction: Pediatric nurses are believed to play a crucial role in mitigating and adapting to the impacts of climate change on children's health. Consequently, this study aims to compare nurses' knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding climate change and its effects on children from hospitals in two provinces in Egypt. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted involving staff nurses working in different pediatric units in hospitals across two provinces in Egypt. A total of 336 nurses were purposively selected as participants. Data collection utilized three tools: a designed structured questionnaire for knowledge, a climate health skills rating scale, and an attitude scale. Results: In Beni-Suef hospitals, a significant proportion of participants exhibited poor knowledge, skills, and attitudes (48.2%, 50.6%, and 54.2%, respectively). In contrast, most participants in Al Azhar hospitals demonstrated good knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding climate change (69.6%, 29.2%, and 82.1%, respectively). These differences between the two provinces were highly statistically significant (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Nurses at Al Azhar Hospital exhibited higher levels of knowledge, skills, and attitudes regarding climate change compared to their counterparts at Beni-Suef Hospital.