• Nursing students lack foundational knowledge of planetary health concepts. • Role awareness and senior status predict higher planetary health competency. • Integrate explicit nursing roles and planetary health across nursing curricula. Climate change is a critical health threat, requiring nurses to be equipped with planetary health competencies. Saudi Arabia faces severe climate challenges, making this a national priority. To assess undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions of their knowledge and skills related to planetary health, climate change, and sustainable healthcare across three major Saudi universities. A quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted among 255 nursing students at Jazan, King Saud, and Hail Universities. Data were collected using a validated 46-item questionnaire measuring competencies across three domains: science, mitigation, and adaptation. Students reported moderate overall competency (Mean = 3.27/5). No significant differences were found among universities. Knowledge of nursing roles in planetary health and being a fifth-year student were significant positive predictors of competency. Students felt most competent in clinical applications but lacked foundational knowledge of climate change concepts. There is a significant gap in planetary health preparedness among Saudi nursing students. Integrating explicit nursing roles and planetary health concepts throughout the curriculum is urgently needed to prepare future nurses for climate-related health challenges.
Mani et al. (Fri,) studied this question.