Exploring determinants of hand hygiene among nursing students: A theory of planned behavior approach

Abstract

Background: This study aims to assess the hand hygiene behavior of nursing students and identify the factors influencing this behavior through the “Scale for Assessment Hand Washing Behavior in the Frame of Theory of Planned Behaviour (SAHBTPB)”. Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was undertaken at the nursing departments of the university’s faculty of health sciences in İzmir, Turkey between 2021 and 2022. A total of 240 nursing students were recruited as participants for this study. Data were collected with the SAHBTPB. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, and correlation analysis in the SPSS 21.0 program (p.05). Conclusion: The mean scores of nursing students on the SAHBTPB were found to be at a good level. The sub-dimension “intention” was identified as an effective factor in predicting the hand hygiene behavior of the students. The findings have the potential to positively impact nursing education by increasing awareness among students and offering valuable insights for nurses and educators.