Identifying Nursing Students' Misconceptions Concerning Long-Term Weight Loss Recommendations: A Phenomenographic...

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Dietary Recommendations
• Weight Management

Background:

• Understanding student learning is vital for effective healthcare professional training.
• Identifying misconceptions in nursing students' knowledge of weight management is essential for improving patient outcomes.
• Long-term dietary recommendations for overweight and obese patients require accurate student comprehension.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nursing students' misconceptions regarding long-term dietary recommendations for weight loss.
• To gain insight into the learning process of nursing students concerning nutritional advice for overweight/obese patients.

Main Methods:

• A phenomenographic research approach was employed.
• Data collected via pretest-posttest using open-ended questions from 146 first-year undergraduate nursing students.
• Phenomenographic analysis used to categorize student understanding.

Main Results:

• Four hierarchical categories of student understanding were identified.
• Two key misconceptions emerged: recommending only water for weight loss and inappropriate patient referral without nurse assessment.
• The misconception regarding water intake persisted post-instruction, while the understanding of nurses' role in referral improved.

Conclusions:

• Nursing students exhibit significant misconceptions regarding weight loss dietary recommendations.
• Educational interventions need to address specific misunderstandings about hydration and the nurse's role in patient referral for nutritional assessment.
• Improving nursing students' knowledge of dietary recommendations is critical for evidence-based patient care.