Examination of nursing students and working nurses' some nutritional habits and attitudes and behaviors towards obese people

The aim of this study is to determine some nutritional habits, attitudes and behaviors towards obese individuals and frequency of obesity of students and working nurses. The study was carried out on the students of Ankara University and Yıldırım Beyazıt University Nursing Department and working nurses at Cebeci Medical Faculty of Ankara University. One hundred ninteen nursing department senior students and one hundred eighty nine working nurses were included in the study. Survey data were collected with a questionnaire by face to face interview method. The questionnaire includes socio-demographic characteristics, eating habits, Fat Phobia Scale, Attitudes Towards Obese Persons Scale and Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale. In addition, the body weights and height lengths of the participants were measured by the researcher and the BMI was calculated and the obesity frequency was determined. The data obtained in the study were evaluated using the SPSS package program. The mean age of the students was 21,9±1,1 years whereas 34,7±8,3 years for the working nurses participating in the study. Out of all participants 28,9% of students and %27,0 of the nurses skipped at least one main meal per day; 11,1% of the students and 15,9% of the nurses did not eat snacks; lunch meal (43,3% of the students; 26,4% of the nurses) was found to be the most skipped meal in both groups. The mean value of the BMI was 22,1±3,7 kg/m2 for the students and 23,9±4,1 kg/m2 for the working nurses. The owerweight and obesity frequency are 12,1%, 3,7% for the students and 24,9%, 9,5% for the working nurses. The frequency of 5 portions of fruit and vegetable consumption per day were 7,9% in students, 14,3% in nurses; the frequency of the consumption of 3 portions of milk and dairy products per day is 34,7% in students and 36,5% in nurses. Mean Fat Phobia Scale scores were found to be 3,7±0,51 and 3,91±0,44 respectively in the nurses and the working nurses (p<0,001). It was determined that 99,0% of the students and 100,0% of the working nurses had a high level of fat phobia. Mean scores of Attitudes Towards Obese Persons were 62,68±14,13 for students and 62,41±12,64 for working nurses. It has been determined that students have a more positive approach to obese individuals. The mean scores of Beliefs About Obese Persons were found to be 17,46±4,85 in the students and 16,67±5,86 in the nurses. It was determined that the working nurses had more negative beliefs about the obese individuals (p> 0,05). When the results of the three scales were also evaluated, it was found that both student and nurses were in a negative attitudes towards obese individuals. In addition, it was determined that students and working nurses with higher BMI had more positive attitudes and behaviors towards obese individuals.Students and working nurses who have important roles in the protection of community health, should have healthy eating habits and need to be tolerant, unbiased and understanding towards obese individuals. As a result of the data obtained in this study, it was determined that the vast majority of nursing students and working nurses had negative attitudes and behaviors towards obese individuals. Therefore, in addition to the determination and evaluation of the attitudes towards obese individuals of the nursing students and working nurses; studies that involve multidisciplinary approaches in which health-related behaviors, such as healthy nutrition and physical activity, as well as psychological and sociological conditions are assessed will help to avoid negative prejudices in this area or to remove existing prejudices.