Abstract
Senior nursing students (N=505) attending 13 schools in the NY metropolitan area were administered a questionnaire to assess their beliefs about the importance of health promotion behaviors to the average person. Respondents rated 23 health promotion practices on a Likert scale. The five most important items concerned: knowledge of drug contents and their side effects; the elimination of cigarette and cigar smoking; eating a balanced diet; and using a seat belt. The least important item concerned having an annual exercise test. These results were similar to those found for other health care providers, including physicians, dieticians, and pharmacists. Further, the results were similar to those found in an earlier survey of student nurses. Nurses' attitudes and beliefs seem supportive of health promotion and disease prevention. These attitudes also seem associated with the nurse's role as health promoter. Positive nurse attitudes/beliefs toward health promotion are posited as precursors to the alteration of patient behaviors, although further exploration in this area is needed.
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Sherri Sheinfeld Gorin, Ph.D. is Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Adelphi University, Garden City, New York.
This research was supported by National Cancer Institute Grant No. CA41621 and No. CA16713. The author thanks all participating Nursing Schools: Adelphi Marion A. Buckley School of Nursing; The City College-The City University of New York College of Nursing; Columbia University College of Nursing; State University of New York College of Technology at Farmingdale; Hunter College Bellevue School of Nursing; County College of Morris Nursing Department; College of New Rochelle School of Nursing; New York Technical College Nursing Department; The State University of New Jersey-Rutgers College of Nursing; Wagner College Department of Nursing; Westchester Community College Nursing Department; Mt. Vernon Hospital School of Nursing; and St. Vincent's School of Nursing.
The author wishes to thank the following who contributed to the study: Drs. Jacqueline Royce and Mario Orlandi of the American Health Foundation, New York, N.Y.
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Gorin, S.S. Student nurse opinions about the importance of health promotion practices. J Community Health 17, 367–375 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01323998
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01323998