Background A poor understanding of health literacy and inadequate health practices among nurses can be detrimental to a population’s health. The starting point of solving this problem is through the provision of methodical health literacy and health practice education in the nursing curriculum. This study explored nursing students’ understanding of the concept of ‘health literacy’ and their health practices at a university in Namibia. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 205 nursing students. A simple stratified sampling method was used and data were collected using a self-reporting Understanding of Health Literacy (UHL) questionnaire. Pearson correlation, independent t-test and One-way ANOVA were used to analyse the data. Results The overall mean Understanding of Health Literacy score was 13.04 ± 1.52. The majority (n = 157; 76.5%) of the students were found to have adequate health literacy scores, 21.5% had moderate health literacy scores, and only 2% had inadequate health literacy scores. The overall mean health practice score was 32.4 ± 5.50. Most (n = 106; 51.7%) of the students were found to have poor health practices, 44.4% had average health practices, and just 3.9% had good health practices. There was no significant relationship between the health literacy levels and health practices of the students (p = 0.63). Conclusions Nursing students have a good understanding of the concept of health literacy, but more effort can be made to translate this understanding into health literacy skills. There is a need to investigate the contributing factors to poor health practices, as well as develop strategies that can support good health practices among nursing students. These health literacy skills could then be transferred into the students' professional careers as nurses.

Online learning remains one of the most powerful enablers and accelerators for realising higher education studies by enhancing teaching by means of innovative technologies and pedagogies. However, the success rate of students studying through Open and Distance Learning (ODL) remains very low. Therefore, institutions of higher learning in Namibia should continuously establish and assess the challenges affecting the students who opt to study via distance mode to devise strategies required to address such challenges. The objective of this study was to understand the challenges experienced by students studying through ODL at Higher Education Institution (HEI) in Namibia and establish the challenges they face. A qualitative, phenomenological, explorative, descriptive and contextual research strategy was employed in this study to explore and describe challenges experienced by students’ studying through ODL at HEI’ satellite campus in Namibia. A purposive sampling was utilised in the selection of participants. Data were collected from participants using semi-structured interviews with nine participants. Three themes were identified, namely, the reasons why students chose to study through ODL programme, challenges experienced by students studying through ODL and mechanisms for improvement. The findings of this study call for well-articulated plans and actions to address the challenges faced by students studying in the distance e-learning mode. The study recommended that both Lecturers and ODL programme Administrators should undergo refresher training on distance education annually to ensure that they are aware and can address the challenges faced by their students.

Aim Vaccinations remain one of the most effective measures to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19, while also reducing hospitalizations and deaths, yet many are unwilling to be vaccinated. This study explores the barriers and facilitators affecting the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines among frontline nurses. Design A qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual research strategy was employed. Methods A sample of 15 nurses were selected via purposeful sampling to the point of data saturation. The participants were nurses at the COVID-19 vaccinations Centre in Rundu, Namibia. Data were collected using semistructured interviews and analyzed thematically. Results Three themes and 11 subthemes were identified, namely: (a) barriers, (b) facilitators, and (c) measures to increase the COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Barriers included living in deep rural areas, unavailability of vaccines, and misinformation, whereas scared of death, availability of COVID-19 vaccines, and family influence and peer pressure emerged as facilitators to the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. Adoption of vaccination passport as a requirement to work premises and as an international travel requirement were the measures proposed to increase the COVID-19 vaccine uptake. Conclusion The study found several facilitators and barriers to COVID-19 vaccine uptake among frontline nurses. The identified barriers cover the individual, health system, and social factors hindering the COVID-19 vaccine uptake among frontline nurses. Whereas fear of COVID-19 deaths, family influence, and availability of vaccines were found to promote COVID-19 uptake. This study recommends targeted interventions to improve the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the knowledge, attitude and practices of female tertiary students at the University of Namibia regarding contraception. The objective of the study was to assess and describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of University of Namibia Education students at Rundu campus, regarding contraception with a view to make recommendations based on the findings of the study. A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design was used and a total of 220 female tertiary students from Rundu Campus were selected using simple random sampling. Data was collected from participants by the use of a self-administered questionnaire. Findings from this study showed amongst other that majority (80%) 166 showed poor practices towards contraception. However, the study showed that (91%) 202 has positive attitude regarding contraceptives and that this greatly contributes to high rate of unintended pregnancies as well as Sexually Transmitted Infections among them. It is recommended that in order to prevent unintended pregnancies as well as high incidences of Sexually Transmitted Infections among tertiary students, the Ministry of Health and Social Services must introduce a regular reproductive health outreach programme on campus, or establish a clinic on campus. Neglecting youth’s contraceptive needs contributes to high rate of unintended pregnancies, Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV/AIDS and, indirectly; maternal mortality.

Background: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a critical public health concern, demanding for global coordinated efforts. While nursing students form part of a healthcare team with significant roles in identifying and responding to abused victims, studies assessing their readiness to combat GBV are limited in Namibia.Aim: To assess undergraduate nursing students’ perceptions and to determine the relationship of the study variables to readiness to combat GBV during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Namibia.Setting: This study was conducted at a university satellite campus in Namibia.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was used to collect data from 105 third and fourth-year undergraduate nursing students using ADKAR model. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 27.0, for descriptive statistics and logistic regression in determining relationships between study variables.Results: The study results show a mean readiness of 1.65 ± 0.19. Most respondents perceived themselves ready (73.3%), whereas 26.7% were not. Readiness was common with reinforcement (89.5%) and awareness (84.8%), knowledge (81.9%) and desire (76.2%) subscales. Predictors of readiness in this study were gender and age (R2 = 0.40; R2 = 0.37; p ≤ 0.05).Conclusion: The results of this study highlight that age and gender were significant predictors for readiness among the undergraduate students in Namibia. The results highlight the importance of GBV education in a nursing curriculum. A qualitative design is recommended for future studies.Contribution: The results of this study will support global efforts in strengthening the health system response on GBV incidences.