Attitudes Toward Health Promotion Among Nurses in Primary Care Settings: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Health promotion is a process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health. Understanding the concept of health promotion and using it in practice is crucial for nurses in primary care settings. Aims: To assess attitudes toward health promotion and related demographic variables among nurses in Jordanian primary care settings. Methods: A cross-sectional, correlational design was utilized from November 2020 to February 2021. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 145 nurses in primary care settings in northern Jordan. A self-reported questionnaire was distributed to all eligible nurses. It was part of the “nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward health promotion questionnaire” which was used in a study before. Results: Positive attitudes were found with a mean score of 25.26 out of 32 (SD = 2.96). While 87.6% of participants agreed that nurses should assume more responsibility for health promotion, 60.7% agreed that patients found health promotion dull and boring. While 71% claimed to have the necessary skills to conduct health promotion, only 43.4% agreed that they had enough time to conduct health promotion. Furthermore, nurses with a bachelor’s degree had significantly higher attitude scores compared to nurses with an associate degree (t [143] = -2.053, p = .042). Conclusion: The value of health promotion should be emphasized early on among nursing students; more time and resources should be devoted to facilitate health promotion in primary settings, and policymakers and administrators should establish clear guidelines and a supportive environment to enhance the nursing role in providing health promotion.