Influence of Overweight and Obesity on Performance of Nurses in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH) Bauchi, Bauchi State

Abstract

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among healthcare staff not only raises concern regarding the health of workforce, but also has adverse effect on their performance healthcare promotion. Nurses have significant role to play in promoting a healthy lifestyle and of their care receivers as well as the community at large. This study determined the influence of overweight and obesity on performance of Nurses in ATBUTH Bauchi. The study was guided by four research objective where four research questions were formulated in line with the research objectives. The study employed cross sectional research design. A sample of 225 Nurses was randomly drawn from the population of 450 Nurses. The data for the study were collected using questionnaire. The data collected were analyzed using frequency distribution and percentage and was presented on table. The hypotheses formulated were tested using Chi-square. The result of the analysis reveals that Nurses within the age bracket of 41 – 50 and 51 & above are mostly affected with overweight and obesity; female gender are mostly affected with overweight and obesity; Nurses with working experience between the years 15 – 29 and 30 – 44 are mostly affected with overweight and obesity respectively and it was also found that Body Mass Index have influence on performance of Nurses. The study recommends among others that Nurses especially the female should be encouraged in to partake in physical activities like exercise as this will aid in keeping normal body weight which will in turn increase their performance