EXPLORING THE PERCEPTION OF THIRD-YEAR NURSING STUDENTS ON HEALTH, HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND THE IMPACT ON THEIR PERSONAL HEALTH.

Abstract

Background: Nursing student are equipped with knowledge and importance of health. However, due to the high level of stress accumulated from academic and clinical practice, they may not adopt their knowledge into their health behavior. It is important to understand how nursing students perceive their own health and understand how the perceived health influences their health behavior and impact on their health. As the nurse’s image will have an impact when they provide health education to their patient. Aim: To explore the perception of the third-year nursing students on health and health behavior. Method: An exploratory descriptive qualitative study design has been adopted for this study. Semi-structured interview was used for the individual face-to-face interview. The study was conducted at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Fourteen third-year nursing student, enrolled in the academic year 2019/2020, participant in the study. Interviews have been recorded using an audio recorder and transcribed into verbatim. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. Result: A total of five themes emerged from the thematic analysis. Two themes addressed the perceptions of nursing students: “Personal belief” and “Health condition”. Remaining 3 themes to address the health behavior of nursing students: “Choice of life”, “Lifestyle:” and “Impact of health behavior”. Implication and conclusion: This study has shown some gaps in the perception of health and nursing students’ health behaviors. Positive health behavior was adopted and no report on use of tobacco was reported, however, consumption of alcohol was significant, and more attention should be placed. This result has provided an understanding of the perception and health behavior of the nursing student, which serve as a guide to allow the Nursing Department to implement programs that could benefits the health of nursing students.