KNOWELEDGE AND ATTITUDE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS ABOUT AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM IN TEHRAN, IRAN (2015-2016)

Introduction: Understanding public attitudes for planning policies and actions to control air pollution is important. Attitude is partially socially constructed and thus must be studied in each area separately, rather than inferred from other settings. This study was aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of university students about the air pollution sources and solutions in Tehran. Material and methods: 200 students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBMU) during 2015 - 2016 years were selected by random sampling. The questionnaires were used to collect data consisted of four parts: demographic information, knowledge, attitude, and solutions for reducing air pollution. Results: Most of the participants were 18 - 22 years old, male, single, studying in bachelor degree, and from Tehran. Significant correlations were found between attitude on one side and age, gender, marital status, and education level on the other side. The most approved solutions for air pollution by students were improvement of the quality of fuel (84.7%) and vehicles (79.7%), and development of green space (76.2%). Conclusions: Educational programs must be designed to raise the level of public attitude about air pollution. Citizens should be a part of any solution for environmental problems.