The school nurse who is preparing an anti-smoking campaign for students at a junior high school discovers a research article, published in a peer-reviewed nursing journal, which examined the recent nursing literature to uncover associations between attitudinal factors and smoking among youth populations. These authors concluded that certain attitudinal factors can help determine effective interventions that reduce smoking among youth. Which action is most important for the nurse to take using this research?

The most important action for the nurse to take using this research is to determine if any of the studies reviewed by the authors used a junior high school population. This is because the nurse needs to assess the applicability and relevance of the research findings to the specific target population and setting of the anti- smoking campaign. If none of the studies reviewed by the authors used a junior high school population, then the nurse may need to look for other sources of evidence that are more appropriate and valid for this population. The nurse also needs to consider other factors, such as the quality, consistency, and currency of the evidence, as well as the feasibility and acceptability of the interventions.

Identify the primary attitudinal factors that the authors described as protecting against smoking. This is an important action for the nurse to take using this research, but it is not the most important one. The nurse needs to identify the primary attitudinal factors that can help determine effective interventions that reduce smoking among youth, but these factors may not be applicable or relevant to the junior high school population. The nurse needs to first determine if any of the studies reviewed by the authors used a junior high school population before applying their findings.

Contact the authors and ask for their assistance in developing a curriculum for the anti-smoking campaign. This is an unnecessary and unrealistic action for the nurse to take using this research. The nurse does not need to contact the authors and ask for their assistance in developing a curriculum for the anti- smoking campaign, because this is beyond the scope and responsibility of the authors. The nurse can use their research findings as one source of evidence, but they also need to use their own clinical judgment, expertise, and knowledge of the local context and resources to develop a curriculum that is suitable and effective for the junior high school population.

Review the article to determine if institutional review board approval was obtained prior to conducting the study. This is an irrelevant action for the nurse to take using this research. The nurse does not need to review the article to determine if institutional review board approval was obtained prior to conducting the study, because this is not related to the purpose or content of the research. Institutional review board approval is a process that ensures that research involving human subjects is conducted ethically and protects their rights and welfare. It is not a criterion for evaluating or applying research findings to practice.