INTRODUCTION:

In the digital age, internet usage is deeply integrated into the academic and professional lives of students, particularly in nursing education. B.Sc. Nursing students frequently rely on digital tools for learning, communication, and clinical support. While digital resources enhance educational access, they also increase exposure to online threats including cyber bullying, phishing, and identity theft.¹

As future healthcare providers, nursing students will handle sensitive digital records, making their cyber safety knowledge crucial to protecting both personal and patient data.

Previous studies have highlighted that increased internet use exposes individuals to various online risks, emphasizing the importance of internet safety awareness.²

Literature reveals that while students may possess basic awareness of cyber threats, knowledge about advanced Green and Holloway emphasized that increased exposure to digital technology without adequate guidance significantly raises the risk of unsafe online behavior, highlighting the importance of early and continuous cyber safety education.³

Practices such as encryption and network security remain limited. Recognizing this gap, the present study aims to assess the knowledge levels regarding cyber safety among B.Sc. Nursing students in Kidangoor, Kottayam, and to determine any associations with demographic variables.

NEED FOR RESEARCH STUDY:

The increasing reliance on digital platforms among nursing students makes them vulnerable to cyber threats due to insufficient awareness. This study is essential to assess their knowledge and promote safe online practices critical for their future roles in healthcare. With the increasing use of health information technology in clinical settings, inadequate cyber safety knowledge among nursing students may possess risks to patient data security, highlighting the need for the present study.⁴

PROBLEM STATEMENT:

A study to assess the level of knowledge regarding cyber safety among B.Sc. Nursing students, with a view to develop an information booklet on cyber safety at a selected college in Kidangoor, Kottayam.

OBJECTIVES:

· To assess the level of knowledge regarding cyber safety among B.Sc. Nursing students.

· To determine the association between the level of knowledge regarding cyber safety and selected demographic variables.

· To develop an information booklet to enhance awareness on cyber safety.

OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS:

· Cyber safety: Refers to the practices, precautions, and measures taken to protect oneself from online risks, threats, and vulnerabilities including cyber bullying, identity theft, and other forms of cyber exploitation.

· Level of knowledge: Refers to the extent or degree of understanding and awareness that B.Sc. Nursing students possess regarding cyber safety practices, risks, and precautions.

· B.Sc. Nursing students: Refers to a four-year undergraduate program that prepares the student to become a registered nurse. The program combines theoretical and practical training.

· Information booklet: A small thin book with paper covers that provides information about a specific topic.

ASSUMPTIONS:

· Students may have adequate knowledge regarding cyber safety.

· Students may not have knowledge regarding cyber safety.

· Students may be cooperative.

· Students’ attitudes towards cyber safety may be influenced by their knowledge and experiences, with some having positive attitude, while others may be uncertain.

HYPOTHESIS:

1. H0: There is no significant relationship between knowledge regarding cyber safety among Bsc nursing students and selected demographic variables.

2. H1: There is significant relationship between knowledge regarding cyber safety among Bsc nursing students and selected demographic variables.

DELIMITATIONS:

The study is limited to:

· Students in a selected college which limits the generalization of findings to other institutions or locations.

· The study focuses only on Bsc nursing students, excluding students from other programs.

· The study will have a limited sample size, which may not be representative of the entire population of nursing students in Kottayam or Kerala.

PROJECT OUTCOME:

The study is expected to identify the current level of knowledge regarding cyber safety among B.Sc. Nursing students. It will help highlight specific areas where students lack awareness and are vulnerable to online threats. Based on the findings, an informative booklet will be developed to improve their knowledge and promote safe digital practices in academic and clinical settings.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

A descriptive cross-sectional study to assess risky online behavior and cybercrime awareness among undergraduate students at Al Quds University by Mana Ahamed, Naha Elissa Abiram in 2022. The study sample consisted of 370 students, and we're selected using convenient sampling techniques. The data collection was through an anonymous online self-administered survey using Google questionnaire. The result showed that 56.4% of respondents were knowledgeable about cybercrime, 53.9% were unaware about phishing act. A study conducted by Simon and Mary among students in women’s colleges at Coimbatore city revealed that although students were familiar with basic cyber concepts, gaps existed in their understanding of safe online practices and cyber security measures.⁵

Supporting the present findings, a study by Chowdhury among university students in Jordan reported moderate levels of cybersecurity awareness, underscoring the need for structured educational interventions to improve digital safety practices.⁶

METHODOLOGY:

Research Design:

The research design is an overall plan that the investigator uses to obtain valid answers to research questions. The research design selected for this study is a non-experimental descriptive design, as the study aimed to assess the existing level of knowledge without manipulating any variables.⁷

Setting of the Study:

The setting of the study is Little Lourdes College of Nursing, Kidangoor, located in Kottayam district, Kerala. The study was conducted within the college premises during regular class hours.

Population:

The population for this study consists of B.Sc. Nursing students studying at a selected college in Kottayam, specifically those enrolled at Little Lourdes College of Nursing.

Sample:

A sample refers to a part or subset of the population that is selected to participate in the research study. In this study, the sample consisted of B.Sc. Nursing students from Little Lourdes College of Nursing, Kidangoor.

Sample Size:

The sample size selected for the study included 60 students from all four academic batches (1st year to 4th year) of the B.Sc. Nursing program at Little Lourdes College of Nursing, Kidangoor.

Sampling Technique:

The sampling technique used in this study was the convenient sampling technique. Students who were available and willing to participate during the data collection period were included in the sample.

Inclusion Criteria:

· Bsc Nursing students who are willing to participate.

· Bsc Nursing students who are studying in Little Lourdes College of Nursing, Kidangoor.

· Bsc Nursing students who are available at the time of data collection.

Exclusion Criteria:

a) Students who are not willing to participate.

b) Bsc Nursing students not studying in Little Lourdes College of Nursing.

c) Bsc Nursing students who are not available at the time of data collection.

Sampling Technique:

In this study, random sampling technique is used (lottery method).

Method of Data Collection:

The structured questionnaire method was used for data collection, as recommended in standard nursing research methodology texts.⁸

Instrument:

Instrument is the device used to collect the data. In this study, the selected tool was a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was developed using review of literature and expert opinion. The questionnaire was organized under 2 sections: Section A and Section B.

· Section A: Demographic data including age, sex, year of study, device used, residential status, purpose of internet usage and previous knowledge.

· Section B: It deals with a structured questionnaire to assess the knowledge regarding cyber safety, consisting of 25 questions with one correct answer and 3 distracters. In which the correct answer carries one mark and zero is given for the wrong answer. Maximum score is 25. The questionnaire is prepared in English.

Scoring Techniques:

18-25: Good knowledge

9-17: Moderate knowledge

0–9: Poor knowledge

RESULTS:

Demographics:

Most participants (41.67%) were aged 18–19; 85% were female. Mobile phones were the most commonly used device (96.67%). More than half (53.33%) were day scholars.

Internet:

86.67% used the internet for multiple purposes (study, social media, and work). 80% reported having prior knowledge of cyber safety, mainly from social media or magazines.

Knowledge Levels:

Good: 36.66%

Average: 61.66%

Poor: 1.66%

Statistical Analysis:

Age was significantly associated with knowledge level (χ² = 27.7069, p<0.05). No significant association was found with gender, year of study, device type, residential status, internet purpose, or source of prior knowledge.

Analysis and interpretation of data: Demographic variables of sample population:

This section describes the distribution of sample according to the baseline variables such as Age, Gender, year of study, Device used, residential status, purpose of usage and previous knowledge.

Table 1: Tabulated representation of percentage and frequency distribution of sample population according to demographic variables.

S No	Demographic Variables		Frequency	Percentage
1	Age	18 and 19	25	41.67℅
		20years	20	33.33℅
		21years	15	25℅
2	Gender	Male	9	15℅
2	Gender	Female	51	85℅
3	Year of study	1st year	20	33.33℅
		2nd year	20	33.33℅
		3 rd year	20	33.33℅
4	Device used	Mobile	58	96.67℅
4	Device used	Laptop, tablet and personal computer	2	3.33℅
5	Residential status	Day scholar	33	53.33℅
5	Residential status	Hosteller	28	46.67℅
6	Purpose	Study and social media	8	13.33℅
6	Purpose	Study, social media and work	52	86.67℅
7 a)	Previous knowledge	Yes	48	80℅
7 a)	Previous knowledge	No	12	20℅
b)	Source of knowledge	Social media and magazine	34	70.83℅
b)	Source of knowledge	Lectures and workshop	14	21.17℅

Table 3: Association between selected demographic variable and knowledge level n=60

Demographic variables	Good	Average	Poor	X²	df	Decision
Age	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
18 and 19 years	4(6.66%)	20(33.33%)	1(1).66%)	27.7069	4	H0 is rejected
20 year	12(20℅)	8(13.33℅)	0(0℅)
21 and 22years	6(10℅)	9(15℅)	0(0℅)
Gender	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
Male	4(6.66℅)	5(8.33℅)	0(0℅)	0.406	2	Do not reject H0
Female	18(30℅)	32(53.33℅)	1(1.66℅)	0.406	2	Do not reject H0
Year of study	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
1st year	4(6.66℅)	15(25℅)	1(1.66℅)	5.2923	4	Do not reject H0
2nd year	9(15℅)	11(18.33℅)	0(0℅)
3rd year	9(15℅)	11(18.33℅)	0(0℅)
Device used	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
Mobile	20(33.33℅)	37(61.66℅)	1(1.66℅)	1.1915	2	Do not reject H0
Laptop, personal computer, tables	2(3.33℅)	0(0℅)	0(0℅)	1.1915	2	Do not reject H0
Residential status	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
Day scholar	13(21.66℅)	19(31.66℅)	0(0℅)	1.4962	2	Do not reject H0
Hosteller	9(15℅)	18(30℅)	1(1.66℅)	1.4962	2	Do not reject H0
Purpose	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
Study and social media	3(5℅)	5(8.33℅)	0(0℅)	0.1562	2	Do not reject H0
Study, social media and work	19(31.66℅)	32(53.33℅)	0(0℅)	0.1562	2	Do not reject H0
Previous knowledge	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
Yes	19(31.66℅)	28(46.66℅)	1(1.66℅)	1.4466	2	Do not reject H0
No	3(5℅)	9(15℅)	0(0℅)	1.4466	2	Do not reject H0
Source of previous	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)	Frequency (℅)
Social media and magazine	14(29.16℅)	19(3958℅)	2.0(8℅)	1.5755	2	Do not reject H0
Lectures and work shop	5(10.41℅)	9(18.75℅)	0(0℅)	1.5755	2	Do not reject H0

discussion:

The results highlight that while most nursing students possess moderate awareness of cyber safety, only a minority demonstrate comprehensive knowledge.

The significant association with age suggests that maturity and experience may influence digital safety understanding. These findings are consistent with the study conducted by Kumari and Rani among B.Sc. Nursing students in selected colleges at Chennai, which reported that the majority of students had an average level of knowledge regarding cyber security.⁹

Similar findings were also reported by Moallem in a study conducted among college students in higher education institutions, which revealed moderate levels of cyber security awareness among university students.¹⁰Despite heavy internet usage for academic and social purposes, students lack training in advanced cyber protection measures. This underscores the need for formal education in cyber hygiene as part of the nursing curriculum. Developing cyber-responsible professionals is critical for safeguarding healthcare data and ensuring ethical digital practices.

In response to these findings, the research team developed an informational booklet to address identified gaps and promote safe online behavior among nursing students.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

On the basis of the study findings, the following recommendations are made:

A similar study can be conducted with a larger sample size so that the findings can be generalized to a broader population.

Comparative studies can be undertaken among students from different professional courses such as engineering, commerce, and humanities.

A study can be conducted exclusively among nursing students who have undergone formal training in cyber safety.

An interventional study can be carried out to assess the effectiveness of structured teaching or awareness programs on cyber safety among nursing students.

A longitudinal study can be planned to observe the change in cyber safety practices after implementation of awareness programs.

Further studies can be conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) related to cyber safety in various academic settings.

Cyber safety modules can be introduced in the nursing curriculum, and their impact on students' knowledge can be evaluated.

LIMITATIONS:

Being a small sample size (60), the generalization of the study findings is limited.

The study was conducted within a short duration, limiting the scope of observation.

The study was confined to a single nursing college in Kidangoor, restricting geographical diversity.

Convenience sampling was used, which may introduce selection bias.

The structured questionnaire assessed only knowledge; attitudes and practices were not evaluated.

Participants may have responded based on guesswork or social desirability bias.

The tool was developed in English, which may not fully account for language comprehension differences.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The authors would like to thank the Principal and faculty of Little Lourdes College of Nursing for their support and the students who participated in this study.

REFERENCE:

1. Baraković S, Baraković Husić J. Cyber hygiene knowledge, awareness, and behavioral practices of university students. Inf Secur J Glob Perspect. 2022; 32(5): 347–370.

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3. Green L, Holloway D. Zero to eight: Young children and their internet use. Eur Comm Joint Res Centre. 2015

4. Alotaibi FE, Federico F. The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi Med J. 2017; 38(12): 1173–1180.

5. Simon CA, Mary JSA. Awareness on cyber security among students in women colleges with special reference to Coimbatore city. Int J Creative Res Thoughts. 2023; 11(4): 240–244.

6. Chowdhury S, Al-Debei MM, Maqableh M, Abu-Shanab E. Cybersecurity awareness among university students: A study from Jordan. Inf Comput Secur. 2022; 30(3): 447–464.

7. Sharma SK. Nursing research and statistics. 3rd ed. New Delhi: Elsevier; 2018.

8. Pareek B, Kalia R, editors. Textbook of nursing research and statistics. 1st ed. New Delhi: CBS Publishers & Distributors; 2021.

9. Kumari D, Rani J. A study to assess the level of knowledge on cyber security among B.Sc. Nursing students in selected colleges at Chennai. Int J Trend Sci Res Dev. 2022; 6(6): 1286–1292.

10. Moallem A. Cyber security awareness among college students in two institutions of higher education in California. J Inf Secur Cybercrimes Res. 2017; 1(1): 1–11.

Received on 27.08.2025 Revised on 17.11.2025

Accepted on 27.01.2026 Published on 02.05.2026

Available online from May 05, 2026

Int. J. of Advances in Nursing Management. 2026;14(2):87-91.

DOI: 10.52711/2454-2652.2026.00018

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.

S No	Range of score	Knowledge level	Frequency	Percentage
1	0-9	Poor	1	1.66℅
2	10-17	Average	37	61.66℅
3	18-25	Good	22	36.66℅