title: Nurse provision of healthy lifestyle advice to people who are overweight or obese.
abstract: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a regional area in Australia to measure nurses' perceptions, practices, and knowledge in regard to providing healthy lifestyle advice to people who are overweight or obese. Responses were compared between geographic regions. Participation was voluntary and anonymous. Of the 79 nurse participants, 68% considered that provision of healthy lifestyle advice was within their scope of practice. Only 28% reported frequently estimating body mass index in the practice setting. Nurses often recommended increasing activity levels (44%), but recommended reducing daily caloric intake less often (25%). Nurses' knowledge about weight management was variable and the proportion of correct answers to knowledge items ranged from 33-99%. Nurses have many opportunities to deliver healthy lifestyle advice in a range of practice settings. The variation in practices and knowledge of nurses indicates a need for improved healthy lifestyle education for undergraduate and practicing nurses.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ashley
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kable
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: James
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Snodgrass
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Education & Arts, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Plotnikoff
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Maya
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guest
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashby
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oldmeadow
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.|Priority Research Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Collins
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009765:Obesity / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control; D050177:Overweight / Q000451:nursing / Q000517:prevention & control; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: healthy lifestyle; knowledge; nurses; obesity; overweight; practices health education