EVALUATION OF NURSES' HEALTH BELIEFS TOWARD EXERCISE AND THEIR EXERCISE PARTICIPATION STATUS

This study was conducted to evaluate nurses' health beliefs toward exercise and their exercise participation status. This descriptive study was conducted between January 15, 2024 and April 1, 2024.. A total of 342 nurses, reached through the snowball sampling method, constituted the study population. Data were collected using the "Personal Information Form" and the "Health Belief Model Scale for Exercise." It was found that 41.5% of the nurses reported having a regular exercise habit, and 47.4% of all nurses stated that they exercised to maintain their health. Additionally, 69.9% of the nurses reported being unable to exercise due to a high work pace, 62.3% due to fatigue, and 51.2% due to lack of time. The average score on the Health Belief Model Scale for Exercise for the nurses was 104.46±17.52. When comparing the health belief attitudes toward exercise based on participation, the scores of those who exercised were statistically significantly higher than those who did not. The results indicate that, while approximately 80% of the nurses regard exercise as an important tool for maintaining their health, only 41.5% of them have a regular exercise habit. Reducing the workload in the work environment and expanding social opportunities may be recommended to support nurses' positive attitudes and health beliefs toward exercise; however, the effects of such arrangements were not directly evaluated in this study.