the number of over-weight and obese nurses continues to increase

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Hi guys, I just would like to know your ideas about this - the number of over-weighed and obese nurses continues to increase. I've read articles about this and I just would like to know your views about this. thanks!

It's not a "nurse" thing, it's a human thing.

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On Extreme Makeover Weightloss edition they recently had a RN lose over 100 lbs and she also started a weight loss group at work for other RNs. Chris Powell her trainer did mention that RNs have one of the highest obesity rates among occupations. This is probably due to the long shifts and stress, but also most RNs are women and even though there are many men who to do their fair share of child rearing and housework, I would still say women do most of this still on top of working fulltime... there's lots of single mothers out there and it is hard to do all this and work out with no energy and no time to cook at home. I also find it ironic how, for instance my hospital has all these fast food joints in the food court, with only one salad bar which is ridiculously expensive, and offers fried chicken on their menu for patients on a daily basis. Of all places you would think a hospital would set an example of nutritious eating to stop this obesity epidemic which leads to so many other diseases... yet most of us would be out of a job I suppose if most people in the world did not make some sort of wrong lifestyle choice most of their lives...

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Specializes in ED.

The average age of nurses in practice is somewhere around 45 years old. Most are women, most somewhere in that lovely stage of life known as perimenopause or menopause. Weight gain just happens to be one of the annoying things that go with this stage of life. Many women in their 40's and 50's do carry an extra 10 or 25lbs, but in no way I have ever seen this affect the way they perform their duties. Most of these women can run circles around their younger counterparts and the knowledge that they carry in their heads, far outweighs the fat they carry in their bodies.

Obesity is a problem throughout the entire American population. Why should nurses be exempt? We are people too. As far as teaching healthy nutrition choices to our overweight clients, we can empathize with them about the difficulties they face. Believe me, this goes alot further than some skinny 25 year old telling an overweight 40 year old mother of 3 that she needs to make better eating choices.

Let's let this subject rest. We are big, we are beautiful and we can take on any challenge in the nursing sphere.

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Specializes in Public Health, L&D, NICU.
I care when it, like any other medical condition, affects my coworkers' abilities to function and perform as an effective member of our nursing team. If you can't train to be the charge nurse, and I have to do more often, because of a medical condition, perhaps it's time to go to a doctor and evaluate options for treatment. Or perhaps it's time to evaluate your lifestyle choice and your career.

I would do the same for myself and any medical condition I have if it were impacting my job and my coworkers.

I am overweight. Actually, according to the charts, I'm obese. I'm also very short. And it in no way limited me from doing my job, being charge, circulating stat sections, scrubbing in on surgery, or anything else. My height is way more of an impediment than my weight, and always has been. I'd rather work with a fat nurse with an awesome work ethic than a skinny one who only wants to text, surf the net, or study for grad school. Don't judge a nurse just because they are overweight. Follow them for a day and see if you can keep up before you decide that their weight is a burden to you and the unit. Anyone can be lazy, regardless of weight.

And is my obesity more acceptable because I am in the process of preparing for bariatric surgery? Does it make me more acceptable and forgivable because I'm "doing something"?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

do we REALLY need to speak about OTHER individuals, especially if we know the greatest factors in developing obesity????

Unless people are actively in these communities and/or in their communities helping push for more healthy opportunities and access to exercise, then to me, the answer is: :no:

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
Nurses are over-weighed?

So, stop weighing them. :)

I am underweighed. I avoid scales altogether.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

MODERATOR NOTE:

This thread has been heavily edited!

The topic of this thread is about over weight nurses....while this has been discussed before member are allowed the freedom to discuss the topics they find interesting.

Please stick to topic

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Specializes in PCCN.

ok . maybe its because , as someone said, that the avg nurse is female and 40's.Thanks hormones!! Maybe its also because I note now that any new workers( thats what I will call us at where I work, as that is how we are treated( another rant at some other time) ) any new workers are hired with three shift 24/7 availability. When I was hired many years ago, we only had to rotate 2 shift. Now everyone rotates all three shifts( sometimes all in the same week!) Tell me that that doesnt mess up the circadian rhythm, create loss of sleep,horrible stress levels, and inappropriate eating, not to mention not eating when you are supposed to( no breaks)All these things - lack of sleep, not eating right, stress, are being implicated in weight gain.

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Regarding this topic:

You cannot fathom the immensity of the f$%^ which I do not give about the BMI of a nurse.

It's the fat patients who bug the snot out of me because I have to lift them, roll them, clean them, etc.

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Specializes in FNP, ONP.

I agree with Brandon, who said on page 1 that nurses are reflecting the population, and the population is getting increasingly fatter and less fit. And that is is fact, even if there is one irresponsible article that suggests otherwise and a few of us know handfuls of outliers.

Why do I care? For the same reason I care if people have cancer, or multiple sclerosis, or the boll weevil. Public health issues have been my life's work. I'm not in the business of shaming people, I'm in the business of holding them accountable, thus empowering them to reach their optimum health.

Today I "high fived" a 275 pound patient who finally managed to lose 6 pounds in 3 months. I am genuinely proud of her. And she was in tears, with pride in herself. It isn't a lot, but she has not weighed less than 280 pounds in 10 years. I know, deep down, this patient is probably never going to get down to say, 220. Since she is only about 60" tall, she really shouldn't weight more than about 120, but if she get's down to 260, I'll dance a jig. And I would just LOVE to see what that would do for her self esteem! Not to mention all the obvious objective variables. Other clinicians might tell her she still has 150 pounds to lose, I just celebrated the 6 pound victory.

Most Americans are not getting enough exercise and are not eating or sleeping well, nurses included. The reasons for that are complex and they vary a lot culturally, economically, seasonally, regionally. The bottom line is we could all do better, and should support one another to do better, and not accept fat as being OK. That doesn't mean shame, ridicule, mock, or bully, but encourage, inspire, empower, and yes- hold one another accountable for our actions, choices, failures. When we do that, we get to celebrate the successes together as well.

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Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
I agree with Brandon, who said on page 1 that nurses are reflecting the population, and the population is getting increasingly fatter and less fit. And that is is fact, even if there is one irresponsible article that suggests otherwise and a few of us know handfuls of outliers.

Why do I care? For the same reason I care if people have cancer, or multiple sclerosis, or the boll weevil. Public health issues have been my life's work. I'm not in the business of shaming people, I'm in the business of holding them accountable, thus empowering them to reach their optimum health.

Today I "high fived" a 275 pound patient who finally managed to lose 6 pounds in 3 months. I am genuinely proud of her. And she was in tears, with pride in herself. It isn't a lot, but she has not weighed less than 280 pounds in 10 years. I know, deep down, this patient is probably never going to get down to say, 220. Since she is only about 60" tall, she really shouldn't weight more than about 120, but if she get's down to 260, I'll dance a jig. And I would just LOVE to see what that would do for her self esteem! Not to mention all the obvious objective variables. Other clinicians might tell her she still has 150 pounds to lose, I just celebrated the 6 pound victory.

Most Americans are not getting enough exercise and are not eating or sleeping well, nurses included. The reasons for that are complex and they vary a lot culturally, economically, seasonally, regionally. The bottom line is we could all do better, and should support one another to do better, and not accept fat as being OK. That doesn't mean shame, ridicule, mock, or bully, but encourage, inspire, empower, and yes- hold one another accountable for our actions, choices, failures. When we do that, we get to celebrate the successes together as well.

​Good for you for recognizing that weight loss!

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13 years ago I was an obese nurse with celiac sprue. I went from size 16 to 6 with exercise and healthy carbs. I haven't looked back since. Knees stopped hurting, liver enzymes improved, cholesterol improved, good bp, edema went away, heart burn stopped, depression improved, heart palpitations improved, let's just say I am now living instead of feeling like I was dying.

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