A Study To Assess The Effectiveness of Nurse-Led Health Education on Knowledge Regarding Healthy Lifestyle Practices Among Patients in An Urban Hospital, Dahod

Abstract

Background- Healthy lifestyle practices are important components of disease prevention, health promotion and improvement of quality of life. Unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, tobacco use, harmful alcohol consumption, inadequate sleep and poor stress management are important modifiable risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. The World Health Organization identifies unhealthy diet, insufficient physical activity, tobacco use and harmful alcohol use as major behavioural risk factors contributing to noncommunicable diseases. Regular physical activity contributes to the prevention and management of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and several cancers, while healthy dietary practices help reduce the risk of several chronic diseases. Aim- The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of nurse-led health education on knowledge regarding healthy lifestyle practices among patients attending an urban hospital in Dahod. Objectives- To determine the effectiveness of nurse-led health education by comparing pre-test and post-test knowledge scores. Methods- A quantitative evaluative research approach was adopted using a pre-experimental one-group pre-test and post-test research design. For this model paper, 60 patients attending an urban hospital in Dahod were selected by purposive sampling. A structured knowledge questionnaire consisting of 30 items was used for data collection. A pre-test was conducted, followed by a nurse-led health education session covering healthy diet, physical activity, weight management, sleep, stress management, tobacco and alcohol avoidance, personal hygiene and preventive health practices. A post-test was conducted after the intervention. Results- The illustrative analysis showed that before the intervention, 38 patients (63.33%) had poor knowledge, 18 (30.00%) had moderate knowledge and only 4 (6.67%) had good knowledge. Following nurse-led health education, only 2 patients (3.33%) remained in the poor knowledge category, 14 (23.33%) had moderate knowledge and 44 (73.34%) demonstrated good knowledge. The hypothetical mean pre-test knowledge score was 12.40 ± 4.10, whereas the post-test mean score increased to 23.80 ± 3.20. The mean gain was 11.40 points. The calculated paired t value was approximately 21.70, indicating a statistically significant improvement in knowledge at the 0.05 level. Conclusion- The findings of this illustrative study suggest that nurse-led health education may be an effective strategy for improving knowledge regarding healthy lifestyle practices among patients attending an urban hospital. Nurses can play an important role in strengthening health-promoting behaviours through structured education, counselling and reinforcement.