Perceptions of nurses on obesity treatment options

Background: Obesity is described as deviation from normal fat accumulation which endangers the health of an individual. The Body Mass Index (BMI) is normally used to indicate whether an individual is obese or otherwise. Different options of treatments are used in obesity reduction. Nurses play a significant role in providing medical care in obesity reduction. Objectives: The study aimed at exploring the perceptions nurses have on obesity treatment options at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Methods: The study used is an exploratory, descriptive qualitative design. Twelve (12) participants (nurses) were purposively sampled for the study. A semi-structured interview was also used to collect data from the participants. All the interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic content analysis, coding and categorization. Findings: Findings show that 7 (58.3%) of the participants hold the view that obesity treatment options help to reduce weight and prolong the lifespan of patients. Conversely, 4 (33.3%) of participants argue that treatment options such as exercise, surgery, diet and herbal preparations might be costly or cheap. Conclusions: Based on the findings, the need for food and exercise policies in all hospital settings was recommended. The need for workshops and specialists’ courses to train nurses on obesity treatments was also emphasized.