Expanding the health belief model on dementia knowledge, fear, and preventive behaviors among older adults in Korea: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Nursing students represent the future workforce of the healthcare system, and their quality of life (QoL) during the academic transition is a critical predictor not only of their individual well-being but also of the quality of care they will eventually provide [,]. QoL is regarded as a multidimensional construct that reflects individuals’ perceptions of their overall well-being, including physical health, psychological state, social relationships, and their ability to function in daily life and is shaped by diverse personal and contextual factors among female nursing students []. However, maintaining optimal QoL is particularly challenging for nursing students due to a rigorous curriculum that combines intense academic coursework with clinical rotations []. Junior (3rd year) and senior (4th year) nursing students experience a critical transitional period in which education shifts from classroom-centered theoretical learning to clinical practice-focused training []. During this phase, students are particularly vulnerable to sleep deprivation and emotional burnout, exacerbated by the pressure of the national licensing examination and uncertainty regarding future career paths []. These cumulative academic and clinical demands intensify over time, leading to a progressive deterioration in QoL among nursing students balancing clinical rotations and academic responsibilities [,]. Furthermore, distinct biological and behavioral vulnerabilities exacerbate these challenges. As the majority of nursing students in Korea are female, they are exposed to cyclic physiological stressors such as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which can compound daily stress [,]. Health-promoting lifestyle (HPL) factors, including physical activity and stress management, constitute essential components of nursing students’ well-being but are frequently insufficient in this population []. These findings suggest that modifiable health behaviors play a particularly important role in nursing students’ QoL.