Knowledge and perceptions about the health effects of environmental hazards among students from Hamdard University, Karachi: A cross sectional study.

Environmental hazards increase the health morbidity and mortality burden. This study compared the knowledge and perceptions about the health effects of environmental hazards among medical and engineering students of Hamdard University Karachi. A total of 263 (44.1%) engineering students, and 333 (55.9%) medical students participated in the study. Cumulatively, the three most commonly identified environmental hazards included tobacco smoking 561 (94.1%), global climate change 518 (86.9%), and solar ultraviolet radiation 511 (85.7%). The study results suggest the need for better quantifying the magnitude of understanding environmental hazards, and for health education and promotion programmes at the graduate level for medical and engineering students in Karachi.