Obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England: a cross-sectional study using the Health Survey for England

Kyle, Richard G; Wills, Jane; Mahoney, Catherine; Hoyle, Louise; Kelly, Muireann; Atherton, Iain M

Abstract

Objective: To estimate obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England and compare prevalence to those working outside of the health services.
Design: Cross-sectional study based on data from five years (2008-2012) of the nationally representative Health Survey for England.
Setting: England.
Participants: 20,103 adults aged 17-65 indicating they were economically active at the time of survey classified into four occupational groups: nurses (n=422), other healthcare professionals (n=412), unregistered care workers (n=736) and individuals employed in non-health related occupations (n=18,533).
Outcome measure: Prevalence of obesity defined as Body Mass Index  30.0 with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and weighted to reflect the population.
Results: Obesity prevalence was high across all occupational groups including: among nurses (25.1% 95% CI 20.9, 29.4); other healthcare professionals (14.4% CI 11.0, 17.8); non-health related occupations (23.5% CI 22.9, 24.1); and unregistered care workers, who had the highest prevalence of obesity (31.9%, CI 28.4, 35.3). A logistic regression model adjusted for socio-demographic composition and survey year indicated that, compared to nurses, the odds of being obese were significantly lower for other health care professionals (adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 0.52, CI 0.37, 0.75) and higher for unregistered care workers (aOR 1.46 CI 1.11, 1.93). There was no significant difference in obesity prevalence between nurses and people working in non-health related occupations (aOR 0.94 CI 0.74, 1.18).
Conclusions: High obesity prevalence among nurses and unregistered care workers is concerning as it increases the risks of musculoskeletal conditions and mental health conditions which are the main causes of sickness-absence in health services. Further research is required to better understand the reasons for high obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England to inform interventions to support individuals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight.

Citation

Kyle, R. G., Wills, J., Mahoney, C., Hoyle, L., Kelly, M., & Atherton, I. M. (2017). Obesity prevalence among healthcare professionals in England: a cross-sectional study using the Health Survey for England. BMJ Open, 7(12), Article e018498. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018498

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 20, 2017
• Online Publication Date: Dec 4, 2017
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Nov 29, 2017
• Journal: BMJ Open
• Electronic ISSN: 2044-6055
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 12
• Article Number: e018498
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018498
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/993011
• Contract Date: Nov 29, 2017