Nature of the work correlated to overweight and obesity for nurses: A 10-year hospital-based cohort study

Nurses are a high-risk group for overweight and obesity due to high stress, low-labor medical work, irregular diet, and lack of exercise. There is scarce information on relationship between job characteristics and overweight and obesity among nurses. This study aimed to answer the question. Does the nature of the work including job position, seniority relate to overweight and obesity among nurses? Their incidence was also investigated.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of nurses who underwent annual checkups during 2007 to 2016 in a medical center. Overweight was defined as a body mass index between 24 and 27 kg/m 2 . Obesity was defined as a body mass index higher than 27 kg/m 2 . We calculated the prevalence and incidence of overweight and obesity and estimated relative risks using logistic regression.

Overall, 4253 participants were enrolled for the incidence of overweight and obesity. We found that junior staff, administrative directors, working in intensive care units, and old age had a high possibility of overweight. Junior staff, administrative directors, old age, and male sex tend to be obesity. Overweight and obesity occurred rapidly in the first 2 years of their career.

Our findings suggest that policies should be set up to achieve the goal of workplace health promotion. Health plans focusing on these factors may help nurses avoid obesity and overweight. The director of the hospital should keep track of the health checkup database to confirm the benefits of its long-term implementation.