Levels of obesity within the healthcare workforce

A recent study has examined the prevalence of obesity amongst health care professionals in England. It found that 25.1% of nurses were obese whilst 31.9% of unregistered care workers were obese. Using data from the Health Survey for England, 20,103 individuals were included. This study itself did not examine the reasons for obesity within the healthcare professional population; however it was hypothesised that the largely disruptive shift pattern of work would be a significant contributor. The study also suggests that being obese could get in the way of providing the best care for patients and may also mean that nurses are more likely to have to take time off due to other health conditions related to obesity.

The researchers were hoping that their findings would help policymakers pay more attention to improving staff health. This would not only have positive implications for the overall health of the workforce but could also help improve patient centred care, especially as many of the general population can look to the health workforce as role models when it comes to medical health.