Our health, our planet: Health awareness and pro-environmental behaviour among health professionals

A GreyBay Institute senior researcher published the paper Our health, our planet: a cross-sectional analysis on the association between health consciousness and pro-environmental behavior among health professionals. The study examines whether health consciousness, understood as a stable psychological orientation toward protecting one's health, is also related to environmentally friendly behaviour.

The research surveyed health professionals at a large hospital in Japan and collected data on health-consciousness levels together with two common forms of pro-environmental behaviour: recycling and green purchasing. Multivariable linear regression was then used to test whether the same psychological orientation could help explain both health-related and environmental action.

Results showed a clear positive association between health consciousness and recycling behaviour. Health professionals who scored higher on health consciousness were more likely to participate in routine recycling. By contrast, no significant association was found for green purchasing.

The authors argue that this difference likely reflects the surrounding institutional environment. In Japanese hospital systems, recycling is already a well-established organisational norm, making it easier for personal health awareness to translate into action. Green purchasing, however, depends more heavily on market conditions, personal budgets, and broader social support.

The study therefore suggests that health consciousness may serve as a common psychological driver for both health-promoting and environmentally responsible behaviour, but that its effect is moderated by institutions and social norms. In a policy context where health and sustainability agendas increasingly overlap, this offers a useful conceptual bridge for integrated health-environment governance.

GreyBay Institute continues to study the relationships among health behaviour, environmental sustainability, and social-psychological mechanisms. This paper highlights one promising pathway for interdisciplinary work on behaviour change and systems transition.

Publication:
Our health, our planet: a cross-sectional analysis on the association between health consciousness and pro-environmental behavior among health professionals.
Tomohiro Shimoda et al.
International Journal of Environmental Health Research.
DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2019.1572871