The meaning of health for graduate nursing students.

The purpose of this study was to examine the meaning of health for graduate nursing students based on their life experiences. The qualitative descriptive approach of phenomenology was utilized to define the meaning of health for graduate nursing students. The sample consisted of 29 graduate nursing students. From the participants' responses, 68 descriptive expressions were obtained. Based on these expressions and identified elements, a definition of health was proposed that reflected an awareness of a physical as well as a mental state.