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.

Smog and air pollution have fast become significant environmental problems and are attributed to rapid global industrialization and urbanization. Emissions of fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5) increase smog and air pollution, with strong impacts on human health. Children are particularly vulnerable. While increasing studies are being conducted on the behaviors leading to PM2.5 toxicity from the perspective of environmental toxicants, there is a lack of research on factors influencing anti-PM2.5 behavioral intentions. Thus, this study aims to narrow this gap by adapting the theory of planned behavior framework to investigate the effects of attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control on protective behavioral intentions against PM2.5. In total, 1277 online questionnaires were collected from parents of young children living in urban and rural areas of Beijing, and the data was analyzed using correlation, regression, and path analyses. Results revealed that there were significant differences between parents from urban and rural areas in terms of attitude (t = 4.727 > 1.96, p < 0.001), subjective norms (t = 5.529 > 1.96, p < 0.001), perceived behavioral control (t = 6.155 > 1.96, p < 0.001), and anti-PM2.5 behavioral intentions (t = 6.838 > 1.96, p < 0.001). Path analysis revealed that parents from urban and rural areas had different behavioral intention paths. For urban parents, the findings indicated that subjective norms (β = 0.73, t = 21.84 > 3.29) and perceived behavioral control (γ = 0.22, t = 6.12 > 3.29) had direct impacts on anti-PM2.5 behavioral intentions. In contrast, the attitudes (γ = 0.39, t = 3.74 > 3.29) and subjective norms (β = 0.60, t = 8.55 > 3.29) of rural parents were found to directly influence anti-PM2.5 behavioral intentions.

Nursing educators have the responsibility to equip nursing students with knowledge about the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in order to enhance their physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion. The purpose of this study was to explore nursing students’ simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention on the meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in regard to immediate and delayed effects in improving physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion. The method of this study was constituted a quasi-experimental design with experimental and control groups for pre-test, post-test, and post-post-test. Purposive sampling and non-random distribution were used in the study. Assigned to the experimental group, 54 participants were third-year nursing students enrolled in a health education course with simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention. Assigned to the control group, 56 participants were third-year nursing students enrolled in a caring care course without simulated directed-learning in a life-education intervention. A 56-item questionnaire was utilized, and the content validity index (CVI) was 0.95, as determined by seven expert scholars. The reliability of the questionnaire (n = 45) on Cronbach's α were: meaning of life 0.96, positive beliefs 0.95, and well-being 0.96. The statistical package SPSS 23.0 was used to analyze all of the data in the study. Frequencies, percentages, pre-test mean and SD, post-test mean and SD, post-post-test mean and SD, chi-squared test, t test, and generalized estimating equation (GEE) were employed for data analysis. Nursing students in the experimental group compared with the control group exhibited significant differences in meaning of life on the pre-post-test (β = 16.40, P < .001) and pre-post post-test (β = 25.94, P < .001), positive beliefs on the pre-post-test (β = 5.64, P < .01) and pre-post post-test (β = 9.21, P < .001), and well-being on the pre-post-test (β = 14.33, P < .001) and pre-post post-test (β = 23.68, P < .001). Nursing students in the experimental group showed a significant improvement in the simulated directed-learning with a life-education intervention on meaning of life, positive beliefs, and well-being in the immediate and delayed effects that enhanced their physical, psychological, spiritual, and social health education and promotion.