Paediatric nurses' attitudes towards the promotion of healthy eating

Abstract

This study assessed paediatric nurses' attitudes towards promoting healthy eating and their opinions regarding nurses as role models for health. In all, 67 nurses from 14 wards at an acute hospital trust completed questionnaires on weight, diet, physical activity, self-efficacy and attitudes towards nurses as role models for health. Fortyeight percent felt that they could incorporate health promotion into their patient care better, and 84% believed that nurses should present themselves as role models for health. Nurses felt that their own health behaviours influenced the quality of their care: 77% reported that patients and families would heed advice better from those who appeared to follow it themselves, and 48% reported difficulties in promoting health behaviours they did not adhere to themselves. These views were inconsistent with their own lifestyle choices, since one third of respondents did not meet physicalactivity guidelines, almost half were an unhealthy weight, and the majority did not consume five portions of fruits/vegetables per day. Paediatric nurses identified barriers and facilitators to promoting healthy eating. Education, training and access to evidence-based resources may help to increase paediatric nurses' confidence to promote healthy eating to children and their families. Hospital workplaces should make provision to support nurses who seek to improve their own health.

Barriers and facilitators to healthy eating for nurses in the workplace: an integrative review

“…, Zhu et al . , Blake & Patterson ) and two analysed cross‐sectional survey data (Fernandes et al . , Smith et al .…”

“…The majority of nurses in a UK study (Blake & Patterson ) reported only moderate levels of self‐efficacy in being role models for healthy eating. There appeared to be a relationship between nurses self efficacy, their professional practice in promoting health to others and their own behaviours (Blake & Patterson ).…”

“…The majority of nurses in a UK study (Blake & Patterson ) reported only moderate levels of self‐efficacy in being role models for healthy eating. There appeared to be a relationship between nurses self efficacy, their professional practice in promoting health to others and their own behaviours (Blake & Patterson ). Nurses were more likely to undertake healthy behaviours themselves or be confident in promoting health to others if they had higher self‐efficacy and were more likely to consume recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables a day, than those with lower levels of self‐efficacy (Blake & Patterson ).…”

Understanding perceived determinants of nurses’ eating and physical activity behaviour: a theory-informed qualitative interview study

“…Many nurses display unhealthy eating and physical activity behaviours [1–4]. As an example, Tucker et al (2010) report that half of nurses in Canada do not meet current recommendations for physical activity [5].…”

Development and evaluation of an educational training package to promote health and wellbeing

“…Health and wellbeing is important for nurses and midwives as public role models (Department of Health, 2010;Blake and Harrison, 2013;Blake and Patterson, 2015), and may influence the quality of patient care (Boorman, 2009;Blake and Patterson, 2015). There is an urgent need for intervention to promote health and wellbeing at work in nurses and midwives and support the discipline-specific health and wellbeing issues raised by these professional groups.…”