Promoting Diet and Physical Activity in Nurses: A Systematic Review. Issue 1 (January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Torquati, Luciana; Pavey, Toby; Kolbe-Alexander, Tracy; Leveritt, Michael
• Is Part Of: American journal of health promotion. Volume 31, Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 19
• Page End: 27
• Publication Date: 2017-01
• Subjects: Systematic Review -- Health Promotion -- Workplace -- Nutrition -- Physical Activity. Manuscript format: literature review -- Research purpose: descriptive -- Study design: Systematic review -- Outcome measure: behavioral -- Setting: workplace -- Health focus: physical activity -- nutrition. Strategy: behavior change -- Target population: adult nurses -- Target population circumstances: all education levels -- all income levels -- all locations -- all races/ethnicities; Health promotion -- Periodicals; Health Promotion; Health promotion; Periodicals; Periodicals; 613.05
• DOI: 10.4278/ajhp.141107-LIT-562
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0890-1171

Abstract

Objective: To systematically review the effectiveness of intervention studies promoting diet and physical activity (PA) in nurses. Data Source: English language manuscripts published between 1970 and 2014 in PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and EMBASE, as well as those accessed with the PICO tool, were reviewed. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Inclusion criteria comprised (1) nurses/student nurses working in a health care setting and (2) interventions where PA and/or diet behaviors were the primary outcome. Exclusion criteria were (1) non–peer-reviewed articles or conference abstracts and (2) interventions focused on treatment of chronic conditions or lifestyle factors other than PA or diet in nurses. Data Extraction: Seventy-one full texts were retrieved and assessed for inclusion by two reviewers. Data were extracted by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by a second reviewer. Data Synthesis: Extracted data were synthesized in a tabular format and narrative summary. Results: Nine (n = 737 nurses) studies met the inclusion criteria. Quality of the studies was low to moderate. Four studies reported an increase in self-reported PA through structured exercise and goal setting. Dietary outcomes were generally positive, but were only measured in three studies with some limitations in the assessment methods. Two studies reported improved body composition without significant changes in diet or PA. Conclusions: Outcomes of interventions to change nurses' PA and diet behavior are promising, but inconsistent. Additional and higher quality interventions that include objective and validated outcome measures and appropriate process evaluation are required.