Using the health belief model to explore nursing students’ relationships between COVID-19 knowledge, health beliefs, cues to action, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention: A cross-sectional survey study

Nursing educators should equip nursing students with sufficient knowledge about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to use the health belief model to elucidate nursing students’ relationships between knowledge about COVID-19, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted and purposive sampling was utilized. A total of 361 nursing students participated in the study. Quantitative analysis was employed for all data analysis. The findings showed that the nursing students had the following mean scores on knowledge of COVID-19 9.43 [standard deviation (SD)1.19], perceived susceptibility 19.41 (SD2.68), perceived severity 20.31 (SD 4.09), perceived benefits 26.52 (SD 4.08), perceived barriers 15.17 (SD5.88), cues to action 3.30 (SD1.70), self-efficacy 17.68 (SD2.83), and behavioral intention 18.46 (SD2.33). Nursing students’ demographic background, knowledge of COVID-19, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy explained 58.1% of the variance in behavioral intention (R(2) = 0.581, F = 29.775, P < .001). Nursing educators can increase nursing students’ knowledge of COVID-19, perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy as effective means of health promotion to improve their behavioral intention to prevent the spread of COVID-19.