A review on addiction awareness of university students in the context of sustainable development

This research aims to examine the reflections of awareness regarding the phenomenon of addiction, addressed within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals, on university students through a visual communication-based experience. The study is based on a measurement process conducted through the posters exhibited within the scope of the 6th Bolu International Poster Design Competition (BIAH), an international event with 1,893 participants from 53 countries. In the research, a quantitative research model based on a pre-test and post-test design was adopted to examine possible changes in the levels of awareness related to sustainable development and addiction among viewers who experienced the exhibition environment. In the data collection process, the Sustainable Development Awareness Scale and the Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle Scale were used. The data obtained through the measurement tools applied before and after the exhibition experience allow for a comparative assessment of the cognitive and attitudinal reflections of a visual communication-based awareness experience. The findings indicate that the poster exhibition experience can be associated with statistically significant differences in participants' awareness of sustainable development and their attitudes toward healthy and sustainable living, with this differentiation varying across scale and sub-dimension levels. The study approaches poster design beyond its role as an aesthetic means of expression and considers it as a visual communication practice with the potential to generate social awareness through the experiential relationship it establishes with the viewer, discussing this potential through measurable viewer-level data. This research aims to contribute to design-based awareness initiatives.