Knowledge of cardiovascular disease in Turkish undergraduate nursing students

Virtual simulation for teaching cardiology in nursing: a scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Virtual simulation (VS) can be an effective learning strategy in the context of nursing education on cardiovascular disease; however, its use in teaching cardiology in nursing is less studied. The objective of this scoping review is to map the use of VS for teaching cardiology in nursing.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This scoping review will be conducted according to the Joanna Briggs Institute methods, and the results will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. Eight databases will be searched: MEDLINE (NCBI/PubMed), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science, Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences, Spanish Bibliographic Index of Health Sciences, Database of Nursing, EMBASE and Google Scholar from inception to 31 July 2024. This study will include any existing peer-reviewed literature and grey literature. There will be no time or language restrictions. Two reviewers will screen and select the articles independently, and when there are differences, they will be resolved with a third opinion. When appropriate, broad themes and categories derived from the review questions will be accompanied by other illustrative formats (eg, tables or graphs, word clouds and infographics).

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This research project does not require ethical committee approval. The study is part of a cooperative research project between researchers from the Federal University of Piauí, Northeast of Brazil, and Queen's University, Ontario, Canada, to develop and seek evidence of content validity of a VS game about valvular heart disease. The protocol and review will be published in peer-reviewed journals.

REGISTRATION DETAILS

Open Science Framework (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/S3UMH).

Knowledge, awareness, and presence of cardiovascular risk factors among college staff of a Nigerian University

Background

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of global morbidity often overlooked. Much of the population risk of CVD is attributable to modifiable risk factors, and the gaps in knowledge of cardiovascular risk factors (CRF) are barriers to the effective prevention and treatment of CVDs.

Aim

To assess the knowledge, awareness, and CVD risk among the staff of the college of health science.

Methods

A cross-sectional study of 70 academic and non-academic staff who consented were given questionnaires for cardiovascular risk factor (CRF) knowledge level, cardiovascular risk awareness (CRA), international physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ), and international stress management association questionnaire (ISMAQ). Selected anthropometric indices, blood pressure, and fasting blood sugar (FBG) were also measured.

Results

The mean knowledge level of CVDs was 23.21 ± 3.230, and the mean CRA was 42.61 ± 4.237. The study participants demonstrated moderate-to-high stress (48%), physical inactivity of 18.9%, overweight/obesity of 62.48%, abdominal obesity of 21.4%, hypertensive (systole and diastole) of 27.2%, hyperglycemic of 7.2%, and smokers of 7.2%. There was a significant relationship between the participants’ knowledge level and awareness of CVDs (p < 0.003) and knowledge of CRFs also increased with an increase in educational level. Participants > 40 years had a 3–9% risk of having a CVD event within 10 years.

Conclusions

The knowledge and awareness of CRFs among the participants was high, and some exhibited risk factors. The staff of the university could improve their risk score by practicing health-promoting behaviors like increased physical activity, blood pressure control, and smoking cessation.

Dietary Behaviours of University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic. A Comparative Analysis of Nursing and Engineering Students

The university stage is a crucial stage that influences the decision-making process of students. At this stage, they acquire dietary habits that are guided by their likes, beauty ideals, biological influences, and economic factors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, universities closed and turned to online teaching, changing their life habits under the duress of confinement. The aim of the present work was to identify the dietary behaviours of nursing and engineering degree students at the University of Huelva during the period of confinement, in addition to identifying the factors influencing these habits. The methodological strategy employed was mixed in nature. In this sense, a cross-sectional descriptive study was first performed, followed by a phenomenological qualitative study that was descriptive in nature. Examination of outcomes revealed the presence of four lines of argument founded on the influence of context, life habits, emotional changes experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the factors facilitating or limiting adaption to this period. Taking into account that confinement, restrictive measures, the absence of family, closeness and affection, and training influenced changes to feeding habits and approaches to consumption, universities could carry out interventions oriented in this line to favour healthy eating habits.