Preventive Behaviors of Nursing Students Toward Skin Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Skin cancer is an emerging public health challenge worldwide, and nurses are pivotal in preventing and detecting this disease. It is crucial to evaluate the skin cancer knowledge and preventive behavior of nursing students. This study aimed to determine the level of knowledge and prevention behaviors on skin cancer among nursing students and to determine the relationship between the variables of knowledge, prevention behaviors, and selected demographic variables. Cross-sectional descriptive research was carried out from November 2024 to April 2025 among undergraduate nursing students at the College of Nursing, University of Karbala, Iraq. Sixty undergraduate nursing students constituted the purposive sample. The data were collected using a structured 20-item questionnaire consisting of 8 preventive behaviors and 12 knowledge questions, scored on a uniform five-point Likert scale. The content validity was assessed through expert review, and good reliability was confirmed by high Cronbach’s alpha (α=0.87). Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 27. Non-normality of distribution was determined via the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, which led to employing the Spearman correlation and multiple linear regression. Most of the participants had moderate levels of preventive practices (98.3%) and knowledge (95%). There was no statistically significant relationship between the participants’ knowledge and their preventive practices (r=0.044, P=0.737). There were no statistically significant effects of demographic factors on preventive practices (P>0.05). Nursing students demonstrated moderate levels of knowledge and preventative practice; however, there are still deficiencies in terms of early detection techniques. There is need to reinforce structured education and training approaches in nursing courses.