Overweight, obesity and underweight in nurses in Vhembe and Capricorn districts, Limpopo

A Cross-Sectional Survey of the Prevalence and Determinants of Overweight and Obesity Among Primary Healthcare Professional Nurses In Eastern Cape, South Africa

“…This findings corroborates the widely documented high prevalence of obesity among nurses both in Africa: South Africa (Goon et al, 2013), Nigeria (Ogunjimi, Ikorok, Olayinka, 2010) Ghana (Aryee et al, 2013) and outside Africa; Scotland (Kyle, Neall & Atherton, 2016), England (Kyle et al, 2017) and USA (Miller, Alpert & Cross, 2008). However, the prevalence recorded in this study is higher than the prevalence documented in other studies which ranged from 16.4% to 62.2%, and even in another study conducted among nurses in Vhembe district of South Africa (44.4%) (Goon et al, 2013). The higher prevalence of obesity found among professional nurses in our study could be ascribed to the occupational work setting of working in the primary healthcare facilities, whereby professional nurses are usually in a sitting position for hours during consultation with the assistant nurses.…”

“…When compared to obesity among the general population, including working population (Goon et al, 2013;Skaal & Pengpid, 2011), the prevalence of obesity among nurses is higher than the prevalence recorded in various studies conducted among the general population in South Africa which ranged from 15% to 60.2% (Adeniyi, Longo-Mbenza & Goon, 2015;Owolabi, Goon, Adeniyi, Adedokun & Seekoe, 2017;Cois & Day, 2015;Goon et al, 2013;Skaal & Pengpid, 2011). Owolabi et al (2015) in their study conducted among adults in the same province as the current study, with an almost similar mean age reported a lower prevalence (46%) compared to the prevalence found among nurses in this setting.…”

“…Thus, this group are an important healthcare group, yet, a high risk group for physical inactivity and obesity as a result of the nature of their work which entails hours of sitting during consultations. However, majority of the studies on obesity among healthcare professionals are majorly conducted at either the secondary or tertiary level of care (Aryee et al, 2013;Goon et al, 2013;Kyle, Neall, & Artherton, 2016;Ogunjimi et al, 2010;Skaal & Pengpid, 2014), neglecting the primary healthcare givers. The prevalence of overweight and obesity reported in these studies ranged from 43.3% among Ghanaian nurses (Aryee et al, 2013) to as high as 79.1% among nurses in South Africa (Goon et al, 2013).…”

“…However, majority of the studies on obesity among healthcare professionals are majorly conducted at either the secondary or tertiary level of care (Aryee et al, 2013;Goon et al, 2013;Kyle, Neall, & Artherton, 2016;Ogunjimi et al, 2010;Skaal & Pengpid, 2014), neglecting the primary healthcare givers. The prevalence of overweight and obesity reported in these studies ranged from 43.3% among Ghanaian nurses (Aryee et al, 2013) to as high as 79.1% among nurses in South Africa (Goon et al, 2013). Overweight and obesity is not just peculiar to nurses, Skaal and Pengpid (2011) documented a high prevalence of overweight and obesity among healthcare workers in general, however, nurses were found to have the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity.…”

Health-Promoting Lifestyle Behaviours Among Primary Healthcare Professional Nurses in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

“…Several studies conducted among nurses in various countries have highlighted a high burden of NCDs, overweight, obesity and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours such as alcohol use, smoking, physical inactivity and poor dietary practices among them (Blake & Harrison, 2013;Kurnat-Thoma, EL-Banna, Oakcrum, & Tyroler, 2017;Miller, Alpert & Cross, 2008;Naidoo & Coopoo, 2007;Phiri et al, 2014;Skaal & Pengpid, 2011). Generally, high burden of obesity, non-communicable diseases such as obesity (Adeniyi, Longo-Mbenza, & Goon, 2015;Owolabi, Goon, Adeniyi, Adedokun, & Seekoe, 2017a), diabetes (Adeniyi, Yogeswaren, Lonog-Mbenza, Goon, & Ajayi, 2016;Owolabi, Goon, Adeniyi, & Seekoe, 2016), hypertension (Day et al, 2015;Owolabi, Goon, Adeniyi, & Seekoe, 2016;Peer, Steyn, Lombard, Gwebushe, & Levitt, 2013) and their associated factors have been documented among South African adults, including nurses (Goon et al, 2013;Naidoo & Coopoo, 2007;Skaal & Pengpid, 2011;Van den Berg, Okeyo, Danhausser, & Mariette, 2012).…”