Paper
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Health behaviors of nursing students in a Bacalaureate program
Barbara A. Lester, PhD, Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID, USA
| Learning Objective #1: To identify health behaviors of nursing students in nursing programs |
| Learning Objective #2: Identify those preventive and promotive health behaviors that assist students in nursing programs |
Nurses form an integral part of the healthcare system but little is understood about what nurses and nursing students do to maintain wellness. This study sought to explore what nursing students at NNU perceive to be a healthy lifestyle. The objective was to explore what health behaviors nursing students identify as being essential to physical, psycho-social and spiritual wellness. Quota sampling was used to allow the inclusion of a predetermined number of students from the freshmen, sophomore, and junior years. A representative sample of 28 students was interviewed. Ethical considerations included obtaining an informed consent .A semi structured interview schedule was used to interview 29 nursing students at NNU. The schedule included five open-ended questions which covered physical, emotional, and spiritual health. The interview schedule was piloted on the researchers themselves, and two non-nursing students. Twenty-nine interviews were conducted . Each interview lasted 15-20 minutes and notes were taken during the interview. The interviews were scheduled at a time and place that was suitable to the research participant. .
The raw data was evaluated by the researchers and was organized into tables of commonalities. The researchers extrapolated recurring themes and categories which are reflected in graphs and tables. Three dominant themes emerged: healthy lifestyle, time management, and spiritual experience. Healthy lifestyle addressed sleep, exercise, and diet. Time management addressed organization, prioritization, and maintaining balance socially and academically. The final theme, spiritual experience, highlighted NNU as a spiritually conducive environment. Several participants indicated that spirituality was essential to wellbeing in nursing and felt spiritually supported by faculty