Female nurses' perceptions of acceptable female body size: an exploratory study

A review of the literature indicated that women are often dissatisfied with their body size and weight. Feminist research has suggested that the images of the 'perfect' female body are socially constructed. The research conducted was exploratory in nature and aimed to focus on female nurses' perceptions of acceptable female body size. The choice of female nurses was deliberate in order to explore if they experienced dual pressures as health care workers and women. The study consisted of semistructured interviews which were conducted with a convenience sample of 10 nurses drawn from several specialities and hospitals throughout the Southern Health and Social Services Board (Northern Ireland). The research sample was small and therefore the findings cannot be generalized to the nursing profession as a whole. Many interesting questions were raised, which suggest that this topic is fertile ground for further research. The research findings indicate that assessment of female patients body size is arbitrary in nature and advice given to patients judged to be overweight is less than empirically based. Several of the nurses displayed discomfort with their role as intermediaries between patients and doctors when advising on weight control behaviours. In addition, there was strong evidence to suggest that there are discriminatory practices towards overweight female patients by doctors. The study concludes with recommendations for future practice and research in this area.