Student nurses attitudes towards using social media to raise the awareness of their community about the COVID-19 pandemic in Jordan

ABSTRACT Aims: The current study investigates the student nurses' attitudes and opinions towards their health promotion role during the COVID-19 pandemic using social media. Background: Social media and networking have become the most secure modes of communication among health care providers and their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic all over the world. However, it is the primary means of disseminating health information about disease prevention and control. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 296 student nurses aged 19-49 enrolled at twelve Jordanian universities (6 public and six private) in Jordan. The research team developed the self-administered questionnaire to explore the student nurses' attitudes towards their health promotion role during the COVID-19 pandemic using social media and the Internet. Results: Findings revealed that the student nurses had positive attitudes towards their health promotion role during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of student nurses are using social media to raise the awareness of their community about COVID-19 prevention. Conclusion: The current research findings provide baseline data on the student nurses' attitudes about the proper utilization of social media to enhance their community health about COVID-19. Given the student nurses' positive attitudes about their role in COVID-19 health promotion, we strongly recommend that they be provided with the necessary knowledge and skills to demonstrate effective health education.