Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative Study
<b>Background</b>: Nurses play a crucial role in health promotion (HP) policy and in encouraging healthy behaviors. However, challenges persist in effectively integrating HP as a core component of healthcare systems and nursing practice. Therefore, it is essential to develop specialized...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Nursing Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4403/15/7/232 |
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| author | Gloria Modena Beatrice Mazzoleni Anna Sponton Orejeta Diamanti Giovanna Artioli Gaia Monti Valentina Negri Federica Dellafiore |
| author_facet | Gloria Modena Beatrice Mazzoleni Anna Sponton Orejeta Diamanti Giovanna Artioli Gaia Monti Valentina Negri Federica Dellafiore |
| author_sort | Gloria Modena |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <b>Background</b>: Nurses play a crucial role in health promotion (HP) policy and in encouraging healthy behaviors. However, challenges persist in effectively integrating HP as a core component of healthcare systems and nursing practice. Therefore, it is essential to develop specialized and advanced competencies in nursing students, incorporate HP into nursing academic curricula, and better understand the factors influencing nursing students’ development of these competencies—an area that remains underexplored. Accordingly, this study explores and describes the factors nursing students perceive as essential in developing competencies in HP and in fulfilling their role as health promoters. <b>Methods</b>: A qualitative study was conducted using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 nursing students. <b>Results</b>: Five main themes emerged: (1) Training Needs of Future Health Promoters, (2) Navigating Time Constraints in Health Promotion, (3) Nurses’ Awareness of Their Role in HP, (4) Perceived Need to Adopt Healthier Lifestyles, and (5) Challenges of Lifestyle Management. Key facilitators included strong mentorship and well-structured educational programs; barriers included insufficient clinical exposure and time constraints. Additionally, students emphasized the need for HP to be a core aspect of nursing curricula. While acknowledging existing obstacles, participants also identified practical solutions that could be integrated into training and practice to enhance the impact of HP in nursing care. <b>Conclusions</b>: The study highlights significant gaps in HP education for nursing students and the need for curriculum reforms to better prepare them as health promoters. Future research should consider the perspectives of clinical mentors and evaluate the effectiveness of innovative teaching methods—such as simulation-based training—in strengthening students’ HP competencies. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c2d904ec8f7e4c5ca8db3adf9d9662b8 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2039-439X 2039-4403 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nursing Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-c2d904ec8f7e4c5ca8db3adf9d9662b82025-08-20T02:47:22ZengMDPI AGNursing Reports2039-439X2039-44032025-06-0115723210.3390/nursrep15070232Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative StudyGloria Modena0Beatrice Mazzoleni1Anna Sponton2Orejeta Diamanti3Giovanna Artioli4Gaia Monti5Valentina Negri6Federica Dellafiore7Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20072 Milan, ItalyIRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital, 20089 Rozzano, ItalyDepartment of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Tor Vergata, 00133 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43125 Milan, ItalyDivision of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, European Institute of Oncology, 20141 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, 20072 Milan, ItalyDepartment of Life Science, Health, and Health Professions, Link Campus University, 00165 Rome, Italy<b>Background</b>: Nurses play a crucial role in health promotion (HP) policy and in encouraging healthy behaviors. However, challenges persist in effectively integrating HP as a core component of healthcare systems and nursing practice. Therefore, it is essential to develop specialized and advanced competencies in nursing students, incorporate HP into nursing academic curricula, and better understand the factors influencing nursing students’ development of these competencies—an area that remains underexplored. Accordingly, this study explores and describes the factors nursing students perceive as essential in developing competencies in HP and in fulfilling their role as health promoters. <b>Methods</b>: A qualitative study was conducted using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 19 nursing students. <b>Results</b>: Five main themes emerged: (1) Training Needs of Future Health Promoters, (2) Navigating Time Constraints in Health Promotion, (3) Nurses’ Awareness of Their Role in HP, (4) Perceived Need to Adopt Healthier Lifestyles, and (5) Challenges of Lifestyle Management. Key facilitators included strong mentorship and well-structured educational programs; barriers included insufficient clinical exposure and time constraints. Additionally, students emphasized the need for HP to be a core aspect of nursing curricula. While acknowledging existing obstacles, participants also identified practical solutions that could be integrated into training and practice to enhance the impact of HP in nursing care. <b>Conclusions</b>: The study highlights significant gaps in HP education for nursing students and the need for curriculum reforms to better prepare them as health promoters. Future research should consider the perspectives of clinical mentors and evaluate the effectiveness of innovative teaching methods—such as simulation-based training—in strengthening students’ HP competencies.https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4403/15/7/232health promotionnursing studentseducationclinical practicequalitative research |
| spellingShingle | Gloria Modena Beatrice Mazzoleni Anna Sponton Orejeta Diamanti Giovanna Artioli Gaia Monti Valentina Negri Federica Dellafiore Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative Study Nursing Reports health promotion nursing students education clinical practice qualitative research |
| title | Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative Study |
| title_full | Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative Study |
| title_fullStr | Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative Study |
| title_short | Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Barriers, Facilitators and Solutions in Their Role as Health Promoters: Findings from a Qualitative Study |
| title_sort | nursing students perceptions of barriers facilitators and solutions in their role as health promoters findings from a qualitative study |
| topic | health promotion nursing students education clinical practice qualitative research |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-4403/15/7/232 |
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