Empowering Families for Sustainability: Nursing-Led Interventions to Improve Plastic Use and Recycling Behaviors in Mothers and Children

Background Plastic overconsumption and improper disposal pose growing threats to human health and environmental sustainability. Children are particularly vulnerable to plastic-related exposures, while mothers, strongly influence household consumption and waste management behaviors. Although nurse-led education effectively enhances health literacy, its potential to promote family-based sustainability practices remains underexplored. Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of a nursing-led, family-centered educational program in improving mothers’ and children's knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding safe plastic use and recycling. Methods A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest study was conducted at X University Children's Hospital, Egypt, from March to August 2024. A total of 200 participants (100 mothers and 100 school-aged children aged 6–12 years) were recruited using simple random sampling. The intervention included two structured educational sessions delivered through lectures, group discussions, visual materials, and booklets. Five validated tools assessed outcomes: mothers’ demographic and knowledge questionnaire, mothers’ attitude scale, mothers’ practices checklist, children's recycling knowledge questionnaire, and children's recycling attitudes scale. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 26. Statistical tests included McNemar, chi-square, and correlation analyses, with significance set at p < .05. Results Significant improvements were observed post-intervention. Mothers’ knowledge increased from 43% to 82%, attitudes from 58% to 91%, and practices from 54% to 88% ( p = .001). Children's recycling knowledge improved from 34% to 89%, and attitudes from 33% to 82% ( p = .001). Mothers’ education, residence, and occupation were positively associated with knowledge and practices ( p < .05). Children's age and educational level correlated positively with knowledge ( p = .010). Post-intervention findings indicated strong interrelationships among knowledge, attitudes, and practices. Conclusion Nurse-led, family-centered educational programs effectively foster sustainable household behaviors and reduce environmental health risks. Integrating sustainability education into school health services and community-based nursing initiatives may strengthen long-term behavioral change and contribute to broader public health and environmental sustainability goals.