The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge level of EH risk factors of senior baccalaureate nursing students enrolled in a public health course in a public university in northern Florida.
A convenient sample was used from one group of students enrolled in a mandatory public health course in the spring 2007 term. Seventy-five students were enrolled in this course and 65 students participated in the study. A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest follow-up test design has been used to determine the effectiveness of an EH educational intervention with senior baccalaureate nursing students. Students were given a pretest prior to a 1.5 hour EH nursing intervention which included a lecture and PowerPoint presentation. Students were also given instruction on the use of a modified EH risk appraisal tool. They were encouraged to use this tool during their public health home visits. The objectives of the EH nursing intervention were based on the recommendations from the Institutes of Medicine’s 1995 report on nursing, health and the environment. A posttest was administered immediately after the EH nursing intervention. A follow-up test was given four weeks after the first intervention in order to assess what knowledge had been retained and if the students utilized the modified EH risk assessment tool.
The results of this study showed that almost half of the students did not have prior EH knowledge. A Paired t-test was utilized for the data analysis in order to assess for any difference between the scores before and after the EH nursing intervention. In addition, a one way analysis of variance was used to compare pre, post, and follow-up test scores of all students who completed any of the questionnaires. Students pretest scores showed a 69% pre-test knowledge level, a 72% posttest knowledge level, and a 79% follow-up test knowledge level. Results from the one way ANOVA showed a significant difference between the 3 testing times. The post hoc tests showed that the mean score on the pretest was significantly different from the mean score on the follow-up test. This study contributes to the body of knowledge on the topic of EH nursing and the need to incorporate EH into nursing curricula to help bridge the gap between nursing practice and the emerging health care needs and environment.
