Lynne Chepulis
Waiairki Institute of Technology, Rotorua,
New Zealand
Title: Obesity in the New Zealand healthcare sector: An investigation of undergraduate nursing students
Biography
Biography: Lynne Chepulis
Abstract
Obesity is epidemic, and New Zealand is now the fourth most obese country in the OECD with nearly 2/3 of adults and 1/3 of children being overweight/obese.1Nurses are considered to be the frontline interface between patients and healthcare, and they play a key public health role in the prevention and management of obesity. However, data suggests that nurses in New Zealand are more likely to be overweight or obese than the general population despite their knowledge and experiences of the consequences.2 During 2013-2015 nearly 400 undergraduate nursing students in two nursing schools (one regional, one metropolitan) were evaluated for nutritional knowledge and/or measures of cardiovascular disease and obesity. Results demonstrated that the majority of nursing students have a poor level of nutritional literacy, with Maori, Asians and Pacific Islanders having a lower knowledge level than New Zealanders of European descent. More than two thirds of the students measured had a BMI within the overweight or obese weight range (> 25 kg/m2), although their blood results (HbA1c, lipid profile) indicated that only a minimal number of participants demonstrated any current risk of glucose intolerance or cardiovascular disease. However, with a mean age of less than 30 years it is likely that this group will develop significant obesity-related consequences in later life. In conclusion, it appears that the undergraduate nursing population in New Zealand is not well educated in nutrition and its impact on health/wellness. Many students are not educated adequately for this aspect of their professional role, and this should be addressed in future curricula.