Abstract
Background
Individuals with intellectual disabilities face unique challenges in accessing and comprehending health information, impacting their overall well-being. This research project specifically targets intellectual disability student nurses, examining their health literacy levels during the 1st and 4th years of an undergraduate nursing program. The overall aim of this study is to explore the health literacy levels of intellectual disability student nurses at 1st year and 4th year of an undergraduate nursing programme.
Objectives
Assess the baseline health literacy levels of intellectual disability student nurses during the 1st year of their undergraduate nursing program.
Compare the health literacy levels of intellectual disability student nurses at 1st year and 4th year.
Identify any demographic or contextual factors that may influence health literacy outcomes.
Offer a comprehensive overview of the health literacy landscape among intellectual disability student nurses.
Study Design
This cross-sectional, descriptive pilot study will employ a convenience sample of 1st and 4th-year intellectual disability student nurses at Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEI) offering the undergraduate degree in Intellectual Disability Nursing and measure their Health Literacy levels using the 44-item Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). Data collection will take place anonymously and online via the Qualtrics platform. Data analysis will be conducted using the most up-to-date version of SPSS (currently version 29) and will consist of a range of statistical tests.
Expected outcomes.
It is anticipated the HL levels of 1st year students will be poorer than their counterparts in 4th year and that the 4th year students will have moderate to good levels of HL. It is also anticipated that students will have a good understanding of the concept of HL, but that more focus may be required on their development of HL skills.