The health styles of nurse practitioners

To examine the formal and informal health care beliefs, behaviors, and practices of nurse practitioners (NPs).

A self-administered questionnaire with a primarily closed-ended format was distributed over a 3-day period to a convenience sample of 321 NPs attending a national NP conference.

The overall health status and health practices of NPs were found to be fairly good, but there was room for improvement, particularly with regard to nutrition, health responsibility, physical activity, and stress management.

Respondents were more likely to self-diagnose and self-treat minor illnesses and largely received their primary health care from physicians. The majority of NPs indicated a willingness to receive health care from an NP; however, the nonavailability of NPs restricted this option.