Abstract
Introduction: Medical students have been serving as a key part of the frontline health workforce responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic globally. Their contribution is especially important in the resource-scarce settings of developing nations such as Vietnam. Yet, the intention of medical students, in particular, nursing students, to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities has not been well-understood. This study aimed to examine factors associated with the intentionto participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities among Vietnamese nursing students.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on a total of 597 students in December 2020 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Information regarding the socioeconomic characteristics of participants, their source of COVID-19 related knowledge, and their perception and attitude toward participating in COVID-19 frontline activities [based on Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)] was collected. A hierarchical regression model was employed to examine the association between intentions of students and associated factors.Results: A positive intention to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities was found (mean score of 25.3 over 35; SD = 4.4; min = 5; max = 35). Attitude toward behavior, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) was found to be significantly associated with the intention of students. These variables explained the 37% variation in the intention of students in the model. Among three factors, subjective norm showed the strongest correlation with intention of students (β = 0.358; p < 0.001). Obtaining information from official sources and community was also found to be positively correlated with intention to participate.Conclusion: Most of the respondents reported a positive intention to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities. The findings suggested that the TPB was a good instrument to predict the intention to perform behavior among Vietnamese students. Enhancing the positive attitude of students, encouraging family and community supports, and providing adequately essential resources will contribute to optimizing the participation of students to confront COVID-19.
Highlights
Medical students have been serving as a key part of the frontline health workforce responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic globally
The experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland have shown that medical students who have worked voluntarily in frontline health services reported a low level of fear and received positive feedback from family, friends, patients, and healthcare workers [5]
This study aims to examine how Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) factors are associated with the intention to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities among a sample of nursing students in Hanoi, Vietnam
Summary
Medical students have been serving as a key part of the frontline health workforce responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic globally. Their contribution is especially important in the resource-scarce settings of developing nations such as Vietnam. The intention of medical students, in particular, nursing students, to participate in COVID-19 frontline prevention activities has not been well-understood. Recent studies reported factors influencing the intention of medical students to work in the frontline during the COVID19 pandemic including family support [7], the availability of protective personal equipment, and the risk of infection [8]. A study in Denmark revealed that 80% of medical students in a university had decided to join the COVID-19 pandemic frontline healthcare workforce [9]
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