Nursing students' knowledge and attitude in relation to COVID-19 prevention behavior

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology

Background:

• Understanding factors influencing health behaviors is crucial for effective public health interventions.
• COVID-19 prevention behaviors among nursing students are vital due to their role in healthcare.
• Assessing knowledge and attitudes is key to promoting adherence to preventive measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding COVID-19 prevention.
• To identify factors associated with COVID-19 prevention behaviors in nursing students.
• To inform educational strategies for enhancing COVID-19 prevention practices in nursing curricula.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 188 third-year nursing students at a private Indonesian university.
• Data collected via an online questionnaire assessing knowledge and attitudes towards COVID-19 prevention.
• Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, including the Chi-square test, were employed.

Main Results:

• Nearly half (49.5%) of students possessed high COVID-19 knowledge, while 98.4% demonstrated positive attitudes.
• A significant majority (89.9%) exhibited positive COVID-19 prevention behaviors.
• While knowledge did not correlate with prevention behavior (p=0.864), attitudes showed a significant association (p=0.027).

Conclusions:

• Nursing students' attitudes are significantly linked to their COVID-19 prevention behaviors.
• Positive attitudes are a key predictor of adherence to preventive measures among nursing students.
• Future healthcare professionals must maintain positive attitudes and behaviors for effective disease prevention.