HIGHLIGHTS
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The students knew how to answer about the prevention measures.
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Vaccine/vaccination implementation and social isolation generated discussion.
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Students favored prevention measures.
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Knowledge can influence adherence to preventive measures.
ABSTRACT
Objective:
to understand the social representations elaborated by nursing students about the prevention of COVID-19.
Method:
exploratory-descriptive and qualitative research. Data were produced through interviews with 32 participants, conducted in the period from September 2021 to July 2022. The Study Setting was a public higher education institution, located in the northeastern region of Brazil. Data were processed using IRaMuTeQ software.
Results:
the genesis of the social representations of COVID-19 prevention pointed to two axes: Organization of ideas about COVID-19 prevention measures, and Efficiency, reliability and source of the information obtained.
Final Considerations:
the social representations showed the knowledge about the prevention measures of COVID-19, provided an opportunity to clarify the origin of the students’ knowledge and the specificities they consider important. It is hoped that this study can serve as a foundation for further research and/or interventions with nursing students.
DESCRIPTORS:
Psychology, Social; Students, Nursing; Disease Prevention; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2