Student nurses' perceptions of physical exercise and fitness

Abstract

Literature shows that there are several different definitions and concepts of physical exercise and fitness. The studies carried out among student nurses clearly show lack of health promotion time in nursing education curriculum. The available literature suggests the insertion of physical exercise and fitness in the curriculum of nursing students. The purpose of this descriptive, exploratory research was to explore student nurses' perceptions of physical exercise and fitness. The nominal group technique (NGT) was used in this study using twenty nursing (n=20) students, which were divided in two groups of ten (10) to generate ideas and discuss the topics "physical exercise" and "fitness". Non random purposive sampling was used. The discussion was transcribed and qualitative analyses of the data were undertaken. The fmdings showed that the participants have a holistic view of the concepts of "physical exercise" and "fitness". The participants valued not only the quantity of life but even the quality of life. Physical exercise and fitness was described by the participants as a means of protection against physical, psychological/emotional and social problem. Furthermore participants showed concern about the negative influence of the media in their life. Student nurses fail to recognize the benefits that physical exercise and fitness have on prevention of back injuries. Recommendations based on the findings, include more knowledge about how to prevent back injuries; benefits of physical exercise and fitness and the inclusion of extra curricular credits that feature sports in the curriculum of the student nurse course. Moreover, several suggestions for further research exploring various others related aspects have been made.