Raising environmental awareness: evaluating microplastic education interventions in Jakarta's high schools

Microplastics have emerged as a growing environmental and public health concern, found in air, water, and food, with potential health impacts including respiratory, digestive, and endocrine disruption. Therefore, the preventive effort needs to be amplified. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of three different microplastic education interventions, lecture-based education, peer group education, and infographic distribution, among high school students in DKI Jakarta.

A quasi-experimental design was employed involving 334 students from six schools, with pre- and post-intervention assessments of knowledge and attitudes. Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test and Kruskal-Wallis Test, followed by Dunn's post hoc test.

Findings revealed that peer group and infographic interventions significantly improved knowledge scores, with the peer group showing the most substantial gains. However, lecture-based education did not yield significant improvement in knowledge. Attitude changes across all interventions were not statistically significant, although numerical improvements were observed, especially in the peer group. The Kruskal-Wallis test indicated significant differences in knowledge improvement across groups (p=0.0041), and Dunn's test confirmed a statistically significant difference between peer group and lecture-based education.

The results suggest that interactive and peer-driven educational approaches may be more effective in enhancing students' understanding of microplastic pollution compared to traditional lectures. However, attitude change may require more prolonged or multifaceted interventions that integrate psychosocial and behavioral elements. Given the formative nature of adolescence and their potential as agents of environmental change, incorporating targeted and participatory education into school curricula is essential. These findings underscore the importance of using context-specific, engaging methods for environmental health education, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12 and SDG 13.