Obesity, Knowledge and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviour among Nursing Students: Implication towards Nursing Education in Malaysia

Abstract

The increasing rates of people being overweight and obese are recognized as global public health concerns. Nursesand nursing students have a significant role in educate  public who are obese or overweight and should help them to practice healthy lifestyles. However, a lot of study suggests that nurses and nursing students fail toengageinhealthylifestyles.Recently evidence showed healthcare workers especially nurses fail to practice healthy lifestyle and increasing numbers of obese health workers, therefore this putnurses and nursing students in a precarious position when they become role model to overweight and obese people to adopt healthy lifestyles. This study aimed to determine obesity level, nursing students' obesity risk knowledge, and their own healthy lifestyle behaviors. A descriptive correlational study was used. The study done atone private healthcare university College in Malaysia. A total of 297 nursing students enrolled on a college university nursing course in years 1, 2, 3 and 4. were involved in this study. Data were collected using Obesity Risk Knowledge Scale, and the Healthy Lifestyle Profile as valid and reliable questionnaires. Dependent variables were correlated with independent variables. Results showed that nursing students engage in unhealthy lifestyle. Nursing students had poor knowledge on obesity risk.35% of nursing students in this sample BMI shows they were obese and overweight. Conclusions: This result gave evidence towards implication to nursing educational program to strengthen the credibility and suitability of nursing curriculums for nursing students as future nurses in health promoting activities of patients who are overweight and obese.