The Relationship Between Online Shopping Patterns on Plastic Waste Generation among Public Health Study Program Student at Public Health Faculty

The growth of e-commerce has transformed consumption patterns and may increase plastic waste generation through the use of additional packaging materials during distribution. This study aimed to analyze the association between online shopping patterns and plastic waste generation among students of the Public Health Study Program, Faculty of Public Health, Institut Kesehatan Medistra Lubuk Pakam. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted from June to August 2026 among 298 students from the 2023–2025 cohorts. A total of 75 students were selected using purposive sampling. Online shopping patterns were assessed based on monthly allowance, type of purchase, number of e-commerce platforms used, and shopping frequency during the previous 14 days. Plastic waste generation was measured by the volume of plastic waste generated from online shopping activities during the same period. Data were analyzed using univariate and bivariate analyses with the chi-square test at a significance level of 0.05. The mean plastic waste generation was 1,580 g over 14 days, with 32.0% of students classified as having high plastic waste generation. Significant associations were found between monthly allowance (p=0.001; PR=1.814), type of purchase (p=0.009; PR=1.583), number of e-commerce platforms used (p=0.001; PR=1.784), and shopping frequency (p=0.001; PR=1.929) and plastic waste generation. These findings highlight the relevance of online consumption patterns in addressing plastic waste among university students. Promoting responsible consumption, reducing unnecessary purchases, and adopting sustainable packaging and distribution systems may help mitigate plastic waste from e-commerce activities.