The relationship between nursing student's perception of health and their attitude towards COVID-19 vaccine

Aim: The aim of this study is to determine the health perception of the students studying in the nursing department and their attitudes towards the covid-19 vaccine. Material and Method: The universe of the descriptive study, which seeks a relationship, consists of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ondokuz Mayıs University. And 4th-grade students. 477 students who volunteered to participate were included in the study without making a sample selection. "Personal Data Collection Form," "Health Perception Scale," and "Attitudes towards COVID-19 Vaccine Scale" were used as data collection tools. The data were collected via a google form. SPSS 20.00 statistical program was used in the evaluation of the data. In the analysis of normally distributed data, t-test and ANOVA tests, Kruskal Wallis Test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze data that did not show normal distribution. To carry out the research, permission numbered 2021/560 from the Social and Human Sciences Ethics Committee of Ondokuz Mayıs University and institutional permission from the institution where the study was conducted were obtained. Results: The mean age of the individuals participating in the study was 20.23 ± 1.6 years; 92% of the participants did not have any chronic disease, 78.6% did not have any health problems in the last month, 74.4% did not have COVID-19 disease, 29.4% It was determined that they did not receive the COVID-19 vaccine, 17% did not recommend the COVID-19 vaccine to their relatives, and 26.4% were undecided. It was determined that 65.2% of the students stated that getting vaccinated should be optional, and 55.1% evaluated their health as good. In this study, the total mean score of the health perception scale was 41.04 ±6.23, and the total score of the attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine was 27.73 ±3.33. There was a difference between the students' health perception scale total score and working status and class variables. A positive and significant relationship was found between the Health perception scale and subgroups of the participants and the Attitudes Toward the COVID-19 Vaccine Scale and its subgroups. Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that as the health perception level of nursing students increased, their positive attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine increased, and their negative attitudes decreased. Keywords: Covid-19, Nursing, Covid-19 Vaccine, Attitudes