ABSTRACT
As human behaviors play a crucial role in addressing the global threat of plastic pollution, it is vital to understand perceptions about marine plastic litter (MPL) and to develop interventions encouraging pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). This study evaluates story writing as a window to explore perceptions and as an engagement activity to boost PEBs. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, schoolchildren from the East Pacific coast participated in this activity, each creating a story and answering a pre-post survey. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of 81 stories and 79 surveys show awareness of sources and impacts. Participants identified land and local pollution as significant contributors to MPL and emphasized bio-ecological impacts, reflecting concern for landscape and wildlife. While the stories presented a diversity of solutions, recycling dominated the surveys. As participants reported an increase in self-assessed knowledge and improved PEBs after this activity, it can be seen as an engagement tool to encourage behavior change.
Subject(s)
COVID-19 , Waste Products , Humans , Child , Waste Products/analysis , Plastics , Environmental Monitoring , Communicable Disease ControlABSTRACT
Background: The Covid-19 pandemic has caused nationwide nursing home lockdowns1, which has impacted the education of family medicine (FM) trainees where geriatric and nursing home care training are core educational requirements2. While curriculum is traditionally taught with in-person encounters, Covid-19 has compelled educators to deliver more curriculum virtually to reduce viral spread and conserve resources. Given the limitations of virtual learning, we present a telemedicine-delivered geriatric nursing home curriculum that is well received by resident trainees. Methods: Our project delivered a one-month geriatric nursing home curriculum for FM residents at a community-based teaching program in Los Angeles, CA. The study included trainees who completed their geriatrics rotation from Nov 2019 to Jan 2021. After completing their geriatric rotation, trainees completed surveys, utilizing a Likert scale from 1 to 5. Survey responses were compared between trainees who experienced the curriculum pre-Covid-19 with in-person encounters vs during the pandemic where patient care and education was primarily via telemedicine. Results: A total of 19 surveys were completed (100% participation), including 7 from the in-person and 12 from the telemedicine trainee cohorts. Overall, residents in both in-person vs telemedicine cohorts rated the geriatric rotation similarly and favorably with scores of 4.85 vs 4.91 (P=0.72) in curriculum quality perception, 4.85 vs 4.91 (P=0.72) in enhancement in geriatric knowledge, 4.71 vs 4.91(P=0.34) in the impact the curriculum had on how they treat geriatric patients, 4.71 vs 4.83 (P=0.59) in confidence in managing geriatric syndromes, and 4.85 vs 4.5 (P=0.15) in their interest to further their geriatric training, respectively. Among the telemedicine cohort, residents did not feel their education was compromised with an average rating score of 1.7. Compared to other clinical rotations, both groups found the curriculum more effective, but the in-person cohort had slightly more favorable ratings compared to telemedicine of 5 vs 4.08 (P=0.004), respectively. Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that in light of the Covid-19 pandemic that has disrupted normal education practices, a telemedicine-delivered geriatric nursing home curriculum is positively received compared to traditional face-to-face training.