Impact of Diet and Exercise Behaviors on Body Mass Index of Advanced Practice Nurses in the United States

Background/Objectives: Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) counsel patients regarding diet and exercise behaviors and serve as role models for health promotion and prevention of chronic disease. This study evaluated personal diet and exercise behaviors of APNs and their association with body mass index (BMI) as a biomarker of obesity and disease risk. Methods: APNs (N = 1268) self-reported height and weight, and answered four questions regarding personal diet and exercise. Based on BMI, they were grouped as normal weight (≤24.9 kg/m²) and overweight/obese (≥25.0 kg/m²). Results: The prevalence of overweight/obesity was 55%. The majority of APNs engaged in muscle strengthening exercises (53%) and consumed fruits and vegetables (62%), and protein foods and/or supplements (94%), while less than half engaged in moderate-vigorous physical activity (46%). Exercise behaviors (moderate-vigorous physical activity and muscle strengthening exercises) had a statistically significant impact on BMI. The predicted decrease in BMI due to participation in moderate-vigorous physical activity was 2.06 kg/m² and the predicted decrease due to muscle strengthening exercises was 1.35 kg/m². Diet behaviors (consumption of fruit, vegetables, and protein) were not found to have a significant impact on BMI. Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight/obesity among APNs in the United States is less than what is reported for the general adult population. Exercise behaviors, especially moderate-vigorous physical activity, significantly impact BMI and are associated with clinically meaningful differences. By comparison, healthy diet behaviors, including consumption of fruits, vegetables, and protein, are relatively widespread among advanced practice nurses but do not appear to significantly impact BMI.