Evaluation
of environmental and occupational health students’ attitudes
toward their field of study at Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in
2013
Amani F, PhD1, Daroghe
F, BSc2, Akharbeen K, MSc3, Ahmadi Asour A, MSc4*
1- Assistant Prof., Dept. of Social Medicin, Faculty
of Medicin, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran. 2-
Expert, Dept. of Occupational Health, Sabzevar, University of Medical Science, Sabzevar,
Iran. 3- Faculty Member, Dept. of Social Medicin, Faculty of Medicin, Ardabil
University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran. 4- Faculty Member, Dept. of
Occupational Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Science, Sabzevar,
Iran.
Abstract Received: July 2015, Accepted: August 2015
Background: Studies show
that most students do not have sufficient scientific spirit and motivation
and usually do not have the right attitude toward their chosen field of
study. The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes of students in
occupational and environmental health at Ardabil University of Medical
Sciences, Iran, toward their disciplines. Materials and Methods: This
cross-sectional study examined the attitudes of 150 students of environmental
and occupational health in relation to their field of study. The participants
consisted of students who were studying at
Ardabil University of Medical Sciences between 2010 and 2013. Data collection
was conducted using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software
and P values of less than 0.05 were considered as significant. Results: The mean and
standard deviation score of attitudes of occupational and environmental
health students toward their field of study and their future career were 39.6
± 8.7 and 44.5 ± 8.5 (Total: 42), respectively. The mean score of
environmental health students was close to the acceptable limit; however, the
mean score of occupational health students was less than the acceptable
limit. Mean score of attitude among male students was 43.2 ± 9.9, while it
was 41.3 ± 8.3 among female students, indicating that the mean score of
female students was below the acceptable limit and was not significant (P =
0.213). Mean score of attitude among single students was 42.6 ± 8.7, while it
was 39.9 ± 9.2 among married students. The mean for married students was
below the acceptable limit and this relationship was not significant (P =
0.015). Conclusions: Although the
attitudes of environmental health students toward their major were positive,
occupational health students’ attitudes were negative. Thus, the Ministry of
Health and Medical Education can accommodate students’ admission to these
majors considering the needs of the labor market. Moreover, these majors’
curricula should be based on the real needs of society and creating new job
markets should be a high priority. |
Keywords:
Attitude, Environmental Health, Occupational Health, Students, University, Iran.
Introduction
Attitude,
a subjective variable, defines the
interest or disinterest rate of individuals toward places, people, objects, items,
or events. It is used to describe the pattern of
feelings, opinions, and responses of an individual
toward people, issues, or
specific ideas and is often based on past experiences of
the individual (1). Today, the
study of attitude, as the most important
concept of social psychology, has a special place in research. Knowledge of attitude may be
valuable in predicting and interpreting social behaviors after their *occurrence.
Universities are the origin of developments in society in various fields, and
students as the main pillar of universities will constitute the main body of
different organizations and agencies in the society. Thus, understanding the
attitude of students toward their field of study and future career, especially
in the health majors, is importance due to their vital role in public health
(2).
Many studies have shown that the
academic performance of students and the activities associated with it during
academic training are not of high
quality. Most of the students do not have sufficient scientific spirit
and motivation, and instead of improving their academic level, they try to
upgrade their level of education (obtain higher qualifications). There have
been many reasons for this situation including the failure of universities to
create and strengthen the scientific spirit, failure to choose the right major,
as well as individual and personality traits. Environmental and occupational
health students are no exception to this rule (3, 4). The educational
development of students while studying at university and after graduation is
highly and evidently dependent on their attitude and interests in their field
of study. Therefore, various studies have assessed the interests and attitudes
of medical students toward their field of study. However, given the importance
of health majors, especially environmental and occupational health and the
close relationship between these two disciplines, they should be investigated
comprehensively. Therefore, this research was designed and conducted to evaluate
environmental and occupational health students’ attitudes toward their major.
In a study
conducted on 1522 national university students by Serajzadeh and Javaheri, it
was revealed that 15% of students were unsatisfied with their major, while 79%
stated that they had insufficient motivation to pursue their study (5). Hajian
and Nasiri concluded in a study that the majority of medical students have
chosen their major based on interest and motivation; however, this trend
changed negatively during their study (6).
The obtained results on the attitudes of nursing,
midwifery, and health students of Hamedan, Iran, showed that nearly 50% of
students were worried about their future job and 40% of health students had
negative attitudes toward their future profession (7). The results obtained
from medical students of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, showed
that the majority of these students had negative attitudes toward their future
career and there were no significant differences between male and female
subjects (8).
In a study by Rejali et al., it was reported that
95.6% of students had positive attitudes toward their field of study and the
rest of the students had negative attitudes (9). In a study performed on 220
students of Arak University of Medical Sciences, Iran, it was found that 75.4%
of students had a positive attitude toward their future career and 87.4% had a
positive attitude toward their field of study (10). Mydhili Chellappah
and Laura Garnham
found that only 13% of students ranked general practice as their first choice
career despite having a generally realistic and positive attitude toward the
specialty. They highlighted that the main influence on future career choice was
interest in the specific specialty and that lifestyle factors did not seem to
be so important (11). Henderson et al. showed that medical students had a
positive attitude towards general practice as a specialty and towards GPs as
doctors (12). They rated personal experience of GPs as the most important
factor influencing their attitude. Students' attitudes toward general practice
and GPs were more positive (P < 0.001) in the fifth year. First-year
students believed the media to have a more important role in influencing their
attitude than those in the fifth year (P < 0.001) (12).
In a study performed by Lambert et al., enthusiasm
for and commitment to the specialty’ was a very important determinant of choice
for intending doctors, regardless of their chosen specialty. Relatively few
doctors had actually considered general practice seriously, but had then
rejected it (13). Moreover, 78% of the doctors who rejected general practice
presented ‘job content’ as their reason, compared with the 32% of doctors who
rejected other specialties (13).
Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare the
attitudes of environmental and occupational health students in Ardabil
University of Medical Sciences, Iran, toward their chosen field of study due to
the content and functional similarities between these two majors.
Material and Methods
This was a
cross-sectional study in which the attitudes of environmental and occupational
health students at Ardabil University of Medical Sciences were examined in
relation to their field of study. The statistical population consisted of
around 150 students in their first to seventh semester in 2010-2013 to evaluate
the perspective of all students and factors, because students become more
familiarized with the various features of study fields during their fourth
year. The data collection tool was a questionnaire containing 23 questions on
gender, age, educational level, field of study, and attitude measurement. The
questions were scored on a 5-point Likert scale. According to the
response (including strongly agree, agree, no opinion, disagree, and strongly disagree)
each item could obtain a score of 1 to 5. Content validity was used to
determine the validity of the questionnaire. The reliability of the
questionnaire was defined using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α = 0.727).
On the negative attitude items, scores were calculated in reverse manner, and
each student could obtain a score of 14 (minimum) to 70 (maximum) based on
their attitude. Thus, data were changed numerically using ordinal scales and
the total average score of all options was used as an indicator to assess
attitudes. In order to determine the attitude border according to the minimum
(14) and maximum (70) scores, an average of 42 was calculated. Accordingly,
scores below 42 were considered as representing a negative attitude, while scores
higher than 42 were taken to represent a positive attitude.
In addition, data were analyzed using
t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and chi-square in SPSS software (version 19, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and are
presented as descriptive indicators of mean, standard deviation (SD), frequency, and percentage. All P values of less than 0.05 were
considered as significance.
Results
In this study, 96 (64%) students were women and the
rest were men. In addition, 134 (89.3%) students were single and 16 (10.7%)
were married. The field of study of 74 (49.3%) students was environmental
health and 76 (50.7%) students were studying occupational health (Table 1). The
minimum and maximum numbers were, respectively, assigned to employed and
unemployed students (3.3% and 96.7%). Among the students, 13 (8.7%) had low
income, 95 (63.3%) had medium income, and 42 (28%) had good income (Table 1).
First, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh semester students constituted
40 (26.7%), 43 (28.7%), 2 (1.3%), 37 (24.7%), 15 (10%), and 13 (8.6%) of the
total number of students, respectively. The mean and standard deviation scores
of attitudes of occupational health and environment health students toward
their field of study and their future career were 39.6 ± 8.7 and 44.5 ± 8.5
(Total: 42), respectively.
The
attitude score of environmental health students was close to the acceptable
limit, while it was lower than the acceptable limit in occupational health
students. Mean attitude
score among male and female students was 43.2 ± 9.9 and 41.3 ± 8.3, respectively, indicating that the results
of male students were close to the acceptable limit.
However, the score of female students was below the acceptable
limit and this relationship was not significant (P = 0.213).
Mean attitude
score among single and married students was 42.6 ± 8.7 and 39.9 ± 9.2, respectively. The mean score of single
students was close to the acceptable limit, whereas, it
was below the acceptable limit for married students and this relationship was not significant (P = 0.015). The mean score of employed students was 34.2
± 11.3, which was below the acceptable limit. However, the mean score obtained
for unemployed students was 42.3 ± 8.8, which was close
to the acceptable limit and this relationship was significant (P = 0.046). The
minimum and maximum attitude scores of students were 23 and 66, respectively
(Table 2).
Table
1: Demographic data on environmental health and occupational health students
Occupational health |
Environmental health |
Variables |
|||
(%) |
N |
(%) |
N |
||
69.7 |
53 |
47 |
35 |
Dormitory |
Accommodation |
27.7 |
21 |
53 |
39 |
Home |
|
2.6 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
Tenant |
|
84.2 |
70 |
94.6 |
70 |
Single |
Marital status |
15.8 |
4 |
5.4 |
4 |
Married |
|
4 |
3 |
2.7 |
2 |
Employed |
Employment status |
96 |
73 |
97.3 |
72 |
Unemployed |
|
10.5 |
8 |
6.7 |
5 |
Weak |
Economic status |
59.2 |
45 |
67.6 |
50 |
Average |
|
30.3 |
23 |
25.7 |
19 |
Good |
|
19.7 |
15 |
17.4 |
13 |
2010 |
Entrance year |
22.3 |
17 |
33 |
22 |
2011 |
|
31.6 |
24 |
25.6 |
19 |
2012 |
|
16.4 |
20 |
27 |
20 |
2013 |
|
26.4 |
20 |
27 |
20 |
1 |
Term |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
31.5 |
24 |
25.6 |
19 |
3 |
|
0 |
0 |
2.7 |
2 |
4 |
|
22.4 |
17 |
27 |
20 |
5 |
|
19.7 |
15 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
0 |
0 |
17.7 |
13 |
7 |
In this
study, Pearson correlation coefficient results illustrated an inverse and weak
correlation between students’ age and their attitudes toward their field of
study and this correlation was not significant (r = -0.01) (P = 0.865). The
score of attitude toward future career decreases with age. The relationship
between gender and students’ attitudes toward their field of study was analyzed
using the t-test and was found to be not significant (P = 0.213). The
connection between the students’ major and attitude toward their field of study
was evaluated using the t-test and was found to be significant. That is,
environment health students had positive attitudes toward their field of study;
however, occupational health students had negative attitudes toward their field
of study (P = 0.001). The relationship between students’
accommodation and their attitudes toward their field of
study were analyzed using ANOVA; it was not significant (P = 0.366). The
relationship between students’ economic status and their
attitude toward their field of study, which was analyzed using ANOVA, was not significant (P = 0.876). The
relationship between students’ years of entry and their attitudes toward their
major, which was investigated using ANOVA, was not significant (P = 0.188). The
relationship between the number of semesters attended by students and their
attitudes toward their major was assessed using Spearman's correlation
coefficient. This weak and inverse correlation was not significant (r = -0.015)
(P = 0.860).
Table 2: Absolute and
relative frequency distribution of students’ responses to attitude questions
Strongly is agree N (%) |
Disagree N (%) |
Neutral N (%) |
Agree N (%) |
Strongly agree N (%) |
|
|||||
Occupational |
Environmental |
Occupational |
Environmental |
Occupational |
Environemental |
Occupational |
Environmental |
Occupational |
Environmental |
|
6 (7.9) |
5 (6.8) |
15 (19.7) |
13 (17.6) |
5 (6.6) |
3 (4.1) |
25 (32.9) |
26 (35.1) |
25 (32.9) |
27 (36.5) |
I picked this major because
with my grades, I could only get accepted in this major. |
7 (9.2) |
10 (13.5) |
34 (44.7) |
15 (20.3) |
10 (13.2) |
8 (10.8) |
16 (21.1) |
25 (33.8) |
9 (11.8) |
16 (21.6) |
I am happy to have
chosen this major. Course objectives are compatible with individual needs and
students’ expectations. |
9 (11.8) |
8 (10.8) |
40 (52.6) |
18 (24.3) |
6 (7.9) |
13 (17.6) |
15 (19.7) |
21 (28.4) |
6 (7.9) |
14 (18.9) |
After studying in
this major, I became more interested in it. |
20 (26.3) |
21 (28.4) |
33 (43.4) |
24 (32.4) |
6 (7.9) |
17 (23) |
10 (13.2) |
6 (8.1) |
7 (9.2) |
6 (8.1) |
I believe this major
becomes more valuable in higher education. |
7 (9.2) |
8 (10.8) |
20 (26.3) |
11 (14.9) |
13 (17.1) |
2 (2.7) |
25 (32.9) |
28 (37.8) |
11 (14.5) |
25 (33.8) |
I think students of
other majors have a positive attitude toward my major. |
7 (9.2) |
4 (5.4) |
25 (32.9) |
16 (21.6) |
12 (15.8) |
7 (9.5) |
24 (31.6) |
28 (37.8) |
8 (10.5) |
19 (25.7) |
After my bachelor's
degree, I will continue my studies to higher levels. |
11 (14.5) |
4 (5.4) |
38 (50) |
19 (25.7) |
10 (13.2) |
20 (27) |
11 (14.5) |
21 (28.4) |
6 (7.9) |
10 (13.5) |
Courses offered are
applicable to the workplace. |
15 (19.7) |
6 (8.1) |
16 (21.1) |
8 (10.8) |
13 (17.1) |
8 (10.8) |
22 (28.9) |
30 (40.5) |
10 (13.2) |
22 (29.7) |
I think the society I
live in has a positive attitude toward my major. |
4 (5.3) |
8 (10.8) |
12 (15.8) |
11 (14.9) |
15 (19.7) |
16 (21.6) |
23 (30.3) |
16 (21.6) |
22 (28.9) |
23 (31.3) |
Professors in this
major encourage students to look for good jobs. |
16 (21.1) |
11 (14.9) |
36 (47.4) |
30 (40.5) |
5 (6.6) |
17 (23) |
13 (17.1) |
10 (13.5) |
6 (7.9) |
6 (8.1) |
In my opinion, the
benefits of legal employment in this field are great. |
19 (25) |
32 (43.2) |
32 (42.1) |
20 (27) |
10 (13.2) |
5 (6.8) |
6 (7.9) |
3 (4.1) |
9 (11.8) |
14 (18.9) |
I do not worry about
the job market in this field. |
23 (30.3) |
15 (20.3) |
23 (30.3) |
20 (27) |
12 (15.8) |
12 (16.2) |
11 (14.5) |
17 (23) |
7 (9.2) |
10 (13.5) |
I think the
employment situation is better for lower degrees than higher degrees in this
field. |
2 (2.6) |
9 (12.2) |
36 (47.4) |
20 (27) |
10 (13.2) |
12 (16.2) |
20 (26.3) |
18 (24.3) |
8 (10.5) |
15 (20.3) |
I like working in
this field of study. |
Discussion
In this study, the mean score of occupational health
students’ attitudes towards their academic major was lower than the acceptable
limit. Nevertheless, environment health students’ mean attitude score was close
to the acceptable limit. Results of a study conducted in Qazvin University of
Medical Sciences, Iran (14) showed that the scores of environment health
students’ attitudes toward their major and future career were lower than the
acceptable level. However, occupational health students’ attitude scores were
acceptable. Furthermore, male environment health students’ attitudes were
positive, but female students’ scores were lower than the acceptable level.
Among both male and
female students in the field of occupational health, attitude toward the field
of study and future career was at an acceptable level (14). Henderson
et al. found that medical Students’ attitudes toward general practice and GPs
were more positive (P < 0.001) in the fifth year. The results of this study showed
that 58% of students have a negative attitude toward their discipline and the
rest have a positive attitude (12). However, the results of a survey conducted
in Arak showed that 87.4% of students had a positive attitude toward their
field of study (10). In addition, career and academic attitude scores among
students studying toward an associate, undergraduate, and graduate degree in
environmental health in Hamedan University of Medical Sciences, Hamedan, were
lower than the acceptable level (15).
According to the results of this
study, 3.3% and 96.7% of students were employed and unemployed, respectively. The reasons for the increase in the unemployed population can be the
considerably higher number of students trained in this
field compared to the requirement and the masculine nature
of the field of activity for the graduates of these majors despite the high acceptance of female students
in these fields of study. The results regarding the
employment status of environmental health graduates during the years
1996-2003 showed that 64.6% of associate
degree, 42.7% of bachelor’s degree, and 3.7% of master’s degree graduates were unemployed. Furthermore, the majority of
the unemployed were female gradates (16).
The results of the current study show that 44.6% of
environmental health students and 36.8% of occupational health students
declared that the courses taught are not practical and useful in the workplace.
The results of a study at the Qazvin University of Medical Sciences showed that
45.3% of environmental health students and 35.9% of occupational health
students stated that courses and their content taught in these two fields of
study do not meet the career needs of graduates in the workplace (8). These findings
are consistent with the results of the present study, indicating that 71.6% of
environmental health students and 65.8% of occupational health students
mentioned that they were forced to choose these majors because of their rank in
the entrance examination. This result confirms the results obtained for
occupational health students as their attitude toward their major was negative.
However, in a study performed on the attitudes of medical students at Babol
University of Medical Sciences, Iran, it was shown that although the majority of students (74%) had chosen this field of study, but
60% of students’ attitudes toward their chosen field had changed (6). That is,
the majority of them had negative attitudes (6).
In a study conducted in Pennsylvania School of
Medicine, it was found that 90% of medical students were satisfied with their
educational program and were optimistic toward their future career (17), which
is not in accordance with the results of the current study. This study showed
that the attitudes of environmental health and occupational health students
toward their major were positive and negative, respectively. However, in the
study by Mydhili Chellappah
et al., the main influence on future career choice was interest in the specific
specialty. In fact, considering attitudes toward the field of study, the
results of this research are consistent with that of the present study, as the
scores of environmental health major are higher than that of occupational
health major. These results were
analyzed using chi-square test and the difference was significant (P = 0.003). The
study showed that 55.4% of environmental health students and 32.9% of
occupational health students stated that they were satisfied with their
selected major, and 58.1% of environment health students and 36.9% of
occupational health students stated that their professors encouraged the
students to find a suitable job.
Regarding attitudes’ toward the field of study, the results of these two
studies are consistent. The attitude scores of environmental
health major are higher than occupational
health major; the results were analyzed using chi-square test and this
difference was significant (P = 0.017).
Increase in admission of students without regarding
the needs of the labor market and merely to respond to the increasing need for
applicants to universities in recent years, and lack of necessary
infrastructure development creates a mood of despair in students regarding
their future career.
Conclusion
Although the attitudes of environmental health
students toward their major were positive, occupational health students’
attitudes were negative. Both environmental health and occupational health
students’ attitudes toward their discipline were not satisfactory. Thus, the
Ministry of Health and Medical Education can accommodate students’ admission to
these majors considering the needs of the labor market. Moreover, these majors’
curricula should be based on the real needs of society and creating new job
markets should be a high priority. Exam candidates should be fully aware of all
disciplines in order to improve their selection of fields of study. In
addition, professors should make efforts to motivate students as they are
considered the most influential individuals with regard to the attitudes of
students.
Acknowledgement
The authors sincerely thank the representative who
helped in carrying out this research.
Conflict of interests: None declared.
References
1.
Ziaeeha M, Mohammadi zeidi I, Pakpour haji agha A.
Attitude of health and paramedical students towards patients with intellectual disability
and severe mental health problems. The Journal of Medical Education and Development 2012; 5(2):3-9.
2.
Sharifi M R, Taheri Nassaj H. Medical students' attitude
towards studying medicine. Iranian Journal of Medical Education 2001;
1(4):36-43.
3.
Hamdi MR, Soleimani B, Nasr Isfahani B, Mandegar HA.
Evaluation of graduate student from 1989 to 1994 in school of health regarding
their employment or continuing education. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
1998; 3(1):32-6.
4.
Saeedi Rezvani M, Hosseinzadah M, Baghgoli H. The occupational
destiny of education and psychology students graduated from Ferdowsi University
of Mashhad. Studies in Education and Psychology 2011; 11(2):57-85.
5.
Javahery F, Serajzadah SH. Attitude
and behavior students public universities. Tehran: Cultural Studies and Social Planning
and Research Ministry of Sciences and Technology; 2004.
6.
Hajian
K, Mahmoudi Pour A.
Evaluation of medical student’s attitude toward future job in Babol University
of Medical Sciences. Journal of Medical University of Babol 2003; 8(1):86-95.
7.
Satari
J, Jamalian S, Seifoleslami A. The study of nursing, midwifery and health
students in Hamedan University of Medical Sciences towards their
future career. Scientific Journal of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences and
Health Services 2001; (7)4:15-9.
8.
Sadr Arhami N, Kalantari S, Atarod S. Medical students
attitude towards their field of study and future career. Iranian Journal of
Medical Education 2004; 4(1):76-81.
9.
Rejali M, Mostajeran M, Lotfi M. Isfahan medical science
university, school of health students' attitudes toward the health science
field and his career in 2009. Journal of Health System Research 2011;
5(1):106-15.
10.
Mobarakabadi
A, Shamsi M, Najafianzadeh M. Health student attitude
towards their field of study and future career in health faculty of Arak
University of Medical Sciences, Iran. Journal
of Strides in Development of Medical Education 2014; 11(2):280-5.
11.
Chellappah
M, Garnham L. Medical students' attitudes towards general practice and
factors affecting career choice: a questionnaire study. London J Prim Care
(Abingdon) 2014; 6(6):117-23.
12.
Henderson
E, Berlin A, Fuller J. (2002) Attitude of medical students towards general
practice and general practitioners. Br J Gen Pract 2002; 52(478):359-63.
13.
Lambert
T, Goldacre R, Smith F, Goldacre MJ. Reasons why doctors choose or reject
careers in general practice: national surveys. Br J Gen Pract 2012; 62(605):e851-8.
14.
Jamali
H A, Ghalenoei M. Attitudes of environmental health and occupational health
students toward their discipline and future career in Qazvin University of
Medical Sciences in 2012. Iranian Journal of Medical Education 2013;
13(7):541-50
15.
Samadi
M T, Taghizadeh J, Kashitarash
Esfahani Z, Mohammadi M. Evaluating environmental health students' attitudes
toward their discipline and future career in Hamedan University of Medical
Sciences in 2008. Iranian Journal of Medical Education 2010; 9(4):331-6.
16.
Malakoutian
M, Parvaresh A. The employment situation of environmental health graduates in
Iran between 1996- 2002. Iranian Journal of Medical Education 2003; 3(2):65-71.
17.
Watt
CD, Greeley SA, Shea JA, Ahn J. Educational views and attitudes and career
goals of MD-PhD students at University of Pennsylvania School of medicine. Acad
Med 2005; 80(2):193-8.
*
Corresponding
author: Akbar Ahmadi Asour, Dept. of Occupational
Health, Sabzevar University of Medical Science, Sabzevar, Iran.
Email:
asour50@yahoo.com