“Health Promoting Behaviors of Entering RN-BSN Students”
Background: Health promotion is a proactive, goal-directed behavior that improves health and wellbeing. Health promoting actions can be influenced by: a) perceived barriers that can hinder commitment, b) environmental influences including peers and situations that can either increase or decrease commitment, and c) competing and uncontrollable demands with loss of attention to commitment.
Methodology: A descriptive, cross-sectional, quantitative design was utilized. Health-promoting behaviors were measured using the HPLP II (Cronbach’s alpha .943), a 52-item instrument that includes a total score and 6 subscale scores including health responsibility, physical activity, nutrition, spiritual growth, interpersonal relations, and stress management. Demographic information was collected including age, ethnicity, educational level, years in nursing, height, and weight from a convenience sample of entering RN-BSN students at a public university system. Researchers provided a link to the HPLP II for entering RN-BSN students and invited them to participate in the research through Survey Monkey®.
Results: There were 30 respondents, ranging in age from 24-48, 57% were Hispanic, 90% female, 53% were married, 93% had an associate degree, and average years worked as a nurse was 3.12 (range = <1 to 16); only one of the participants smoked. However, 63% stated they never or only sometimes left their unit for meals and 43% reported being overweight (13% obese). Seventy percent never or ony sometimes limit their use of sugar or sweets. Just over 46%, only sometimes reported any unusual sign or symptoms to a physician or other health professional (13% never do). Similarly, 43.33% sometimes followed a planned exercise program and 26.67% never do. Over 73% either never or only sometimes get enough sleep. Thirty percent of the participants never took part in light to moderate activity, and 46.7% sometimes did. Over 57% sometimes used specific methods to control their stress, and almost 18% never did. Eighty percent never or only sometimes took time each day to relax. Over 83% either never or only sometimes asked for information from health professionals about how to take good care of their health, and almost 57% never attended educational programs on personal health care. About half ate breakfast routinely or often.
Nursing Implications: Interestingly, entering RN-BSNs are not following guidelines that they teach patients each and every day. By not regularly eating breakfast, not getting sufficient sleep, not exercising, not taking time daily to relax, and not going to educational health promotion programs, RN-BSNs in this study exhibited problems with health-promoting behaviors. Nurses need to advocate health promotion for themselves, as well as their patients. Further research should consider several potential areas of research. Why do RN-BSNs not take better care of their health? Does their employer offer health promotion programs at either no cost or low cost? Does the employees’ health insurance offer health-promotion programs and how can RN-BSNs be encouraged to take part in these programs? Should there be time off (paid or not) for health promoting behaviors (e.g., exercise, relaxation)?