Knowledge attitude and practice on disposable plastic tableware among college students

Abstract

Objective To investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice on disposable plastic tableware and self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms in college students.

Methods Stratified sampling method was applied in 338 students of a medical university during the 2020-2021 academic year. The study investigated knowledge, attitude and practice on disposable plastic tableware and self-reported gastrointestinal symptoms among students.

Results There were 24.0% students were unaware of the specific-material of plastic tableware. 82.0% students had no idea about the meaning of “plastic products logo”. About 94.1% of the students thought that plastic tableware might contaminate food, and female students (97.1%) were more worried than male (86.3%) (χ ² = 14.32, P<0.05). The attitude towards the use of disposable tableware was not consistent with the cumulative use score of disposable plastic tableware ( F = 1.31, P =0.25), students with high consumption had higher score of accumulative use of disposable plastic tableware ( F = 8.32, P<0.01). About 18.3% of the students were prone to report gastrointestinal symptoms. The cumulative scores of disposable plastic tableware weekly using frequency in students who reported gastrointestinal symptoms (14.85±4.01) was still higher than that of no gastrointestinal symptoms group (13.78±3.50), regardless of the effect of takeout ordering frequency ( F = 4.53, P = 0.03).

Conclusion College students have limited knowledge of disposable plastic products. However, the use of disposable plastic products may be associated with gastrointestinal diseases. It is suggested to active the propaganda and education, to reduce the use of disposable tableware, and enhance the awareness of health and environment.

Abstract

【摘要】 目的 了解大学生对一次性塑料餐具的认知、态度、使用现状和消化道健康情况, 为指导大学生建立健康的饮食 习惯提供依据。 方法 采用分层随机抽样的方法, 对2020—2021学年某医科大学338名在校学生进行一次性塑料餐具的 认知、态度和使用现状调查, 并了解其消化道健康状况。 结果 有24.0%的学生不认识塑料餐具的具体材质, 82.0%的学生 不了解“塑料制品标志”的含义。94.1%的学生认为塑料餐具可能会污染食物, 其中女生(97.1%)比男生(86.3%)更加担心 (χ ² = 14.32, P<0.05), 不同使用态度大学生一次性塑料餐具累计使用行为分值差异无统计学意义( F =1.31, P = 0.25), 不同 月生活费大学生一次性塑料制品使用行为得分差异有统计学意义( F = 8.32, P<0.01); 18.3%的被调查者容易出现消化道症 状, 在不考虑点外卖频率影响的情况下, 有消化道症状的学生一周内累积使用一次性餐具频率得分(14.85±4.01)高于没有 消化道症状的学生(13.78±3.50) ( F = 4.53, P = 0.03)。 结论 大学生对一次性塑料制品的认识有限, 使用一次性塑料制品 频率可能与消化道相关疾病有关。建议加强宣教活动, 减少一次性餐具使用, 增强健康认知, 提升环保意识。