Cochrane Review Brief: Nurse Versus Physician-Led Care for the Management of Asthma.

Abstract

AbstractLiving a healthy lifestyle is a constant choice. As a life goal, it is a decision to uphold every moment and is best achieved with support of others. There are a multitude of workplace wellness and healthy lifestyle programs that address achieving and maintaining the goal of normal weight over a lifetime. Fewer such evidence based programs exist and a goal of our hospital is to create a comprehensive wellness program based on evidence. In the context of normal weight maintenance in nurses, this article discusses selected challenges for healthy eating and exercise and nurse fitness programs based on the author and her colleagues experiences with specific obesity research interventions, such as Nurses Living FitTM, that we designed and offered. An exemplar provides details about our wellness programs, which included three annual walk or run events, one full day conference, and a series of multiple exercise, yoga, and nutrition sessions. Our goal was to expose nurses to healthier lifestyle aspects with a primary focus on the optimal balance of exercise and nutrition. Over the years of research, events, and programs, greater than 1,000 people have participated. The conclusion includes implications for education and practice in the hope that our experiences may motive nurses to design exercise and nutrition programs to promote normal weight maintenance in nurses.Keywords: Nurses; obesity; overweight; exercise; nutrition; wellness programs; weightIn 2011-2012, more than one-third of adults in the United States (US) over age 20 (34.9%) classified as obese (Ogden, Carroll, Kit & Fleqal, 20141. More than two-thirds were overweight or obese .(MatlflnaLCfifl.'tejJfoLUfialtll-Statistics,-2011)* Obesity related conditions include high blood pressure, increased cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and related complications, cardiovascular disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, respiratory problems, and cancers of the endometrium, breast, prostate, and colon.The U.S. obesity epidemic and escalating costs associated with treatment of obesity-related health conditions continue to be problematic (,US.l.D.ep.artm.enL.of Health...and Human.,Services. .[US. DHHS1,. 2.Q.1.Q). As increasing numbers of patients require treatment for these conditions and education about achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, it is prudent for healthcare facilities to consider addressing this problem from within. Having a healthy workforce population is important from both an employee health perspective as well as an employer economic perspective.For industries with aging employees, such as nursing, the goal of a healthy workforce may be even more important to mitigate health changes associated with aging and to help nurses retain their ability to manage the physical demands of caring for patients. The average age of a nurse in the US is nearing 50 years (Am.ati.can, N.urs.es Association, ?0.11). Nurses are typically well educated about caring for patients' obesity-related health conditions, but we may be less informed about the exercise and nutrition balance required to maintain normal weight over a lifespan. Trusted professionals such as nurses have a distinct opportunity to educate not only patients, but also each other, about healthy lifestyle choices that incorporate a balance of exercise and proper nutrition.This article will discuss the author and her colleagues' institutional goal to achieve a healthier workforce at Inova Loudoun Hospital in Leesburg, Virginia. The overall aim was to expose nurses to aspects of healthier lifestyle, with a primary focus on the balance of exercise and nutrition. The author and her colleagues identified selected challenges for healthy eating and developed exercise and nutrition programs with specific obesity research interventions, such as Nurses Living Fit(TM), and the author will briefly discuss these to provide context. A detailed exemplar will describe the various facets of comprehensive, hospital-based wellness program, including three annual walk or run events, one full day conference, and a series of multiple exercise, yoga, and nutrition programs. …