Understanding healthcare workers' green behavioral intentions in Taiwan: an integrated VAB-TPB framework with...

This study investigates the psychological determinants of healthcare professionals' support for green hospital transitions by integrating the values-attitude-behavior (VAB) framework with the Theory of Planned Behavior.

A survey of 300 Taiwanese healthcare employees was conducted, and the data were analyzed using Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling.

Green values (GV) had a significant positive influence on attitudes, subjective norms (SN), and perceived behavioral control (PBC). However, GV did not directly influence behavioral intention. Among the theory constructs, only PBC had a significant positive effect on behavioral intentions (BI). Attitudes and SN did not have significant impacts. Furthermore, government policy (GP) demonstrated a significant positive direct effect on BI, however, analysis found no significant moderating effects on the relationships between attitude, subjective norm, PBC and intention.

The study focused on healthcare workers in Taiwan, future research should include more diverse populations or conduct comparative studies across various regions.

Hospital managers should prioritize training and resource provision to enhance staff control over environmental practices, while policymakers should maintain clear regulations and incentives to accelerate progress toward carbon-neutral healthcare.

The findings of this study have significant implications for the development of sustainable healthcare practices and the achievement of sustainable development goals.

Originality lies in the study's integrated VAB-TPB framework, which is uniquely applied to the high-constraint healthcare environment, offering a more nuanced model than prior single-theory applications. This study differs by demonstrating the primacy of PBC over attitudes and norms in a professional context and identifying GP as a direct driver rather than a moderator of intention. Focusing on Taiwan provides a distinctive case study of a high-performing healthcare system facing an urgent, policy-driven sustainability transition, strengthening the study's contribution to the green healthcare field.