5. Conclusions
Over two-thirds of Scottish nurses were found to be
overweight or obese. Prevalence of overweight and obesity
among the Scottish nursing workforce was found to be
statistically significantly higher than other healthcare
professionals and those in non-health related occupations.
Observed prevalence was higher than previous studies in
the UK, Australia and New Zealand. High prevalence of
overweight and obesity potentially harms nurses’ own
health and hampers the effectiveness of health promotion
reliant on relational approaches. Hence, interventions at an
individual and structural level are urgently required to
address prevalence of overweight and obesity among the
nursing workforce in order to better support the nursing
workforce and realise the potential public health benefits
nurses can have at a population-level through their
established health promotion role.