The Role of Nursing in Promoting Community Health Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

Background: Health Promotion (HP) focuses on addressing the root causes of diseases to enhance individuals' well-being. Nurses play a pivotal role in delivering HP through preventive care, patient education, and disease prevention. Despite their critical involvement, preventable diseases remain a global challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study evaluates nurses' knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to HP, exploring their role in delivering comprehensive care.
Methods: This study was conducted among 184 registered nurses at a tertiary healthcare facility. Participants were randomly selected, excluding auxiliary nurses, student nurses, and international trainees. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire addressing demographics, knowledge, perceptions, and practices related to HP. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 26.0) to explore relationships between variables.
Results: Of the respondents, 56% reported sufficient knowledge to deliver HP services, and 63.6% strongly agreed that counseling and education by nurses improve patient outcomes. Bivariate analysis revealed significant associations between professional experience, age, and knowledge with perceptions and practices.
Conclusion: Nurses' knowledge and perceptions significantly shape their HP practices, underscoring their critical role in advancing public health goals. Comprehensive training and professional development are essential to empower nurses with the latest HP strategies. Future research should focus on creating sustainable HP models to enhance nurses' contributions to public health.