Primary Care and General Pediatrics

Obesity has reached pandemic levels.  A critical challenge today is improving the health behaviors of those providing care to the general public. Nurses as health promoters & role models of healthy lifestyles are in a unique position to combat this global problem.

This descriptive quantitative study sought to describe the weight management practices of members of a professional nursing association who were trying to lose weight. 

Questions were adapted from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. In addition, the HealthStyles survey was used along with one additionally inserted question. 

Twenty percent of the nurses’ loss weight, average change in weight +2.88 pounds (SD=7.67), maximum individual weight loss -21.50 pounds. Weight loss was greatest during consecutively held meeting & non-holiday seasons. ANOVA revealed no significant differences in weight change among normal weight, overweight & obese participants after the peer-led interventions (F (2,26)=.402, p =.673. Pearson Product Moment analysis revealed a moderate, but statistically significant correlation between the numbers of meetings attended by the participant & weight loss (r=-.370,p.044).

 

A small percentage of the nurses moved from the obese classification into the overweight status, thereby improving their health. Over 60% attempted to lose weight by combining dietary & exercise strategies. Thirteen percent met the recommended guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) 60-90 minutes of physical activity guidelines to lose weight.