Date of Conferral
10-21-2025
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Jamie Harrington
Abstract
This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project aimed to address a clinical gap in primary care by enhancing provider and staff knowledge and confidence in delivering weight management counseling. Despite the high prevalence of overweight and obesity, many healthcare providers feel inadequately prepared to initiate weight-related discussions due to factors such as limited training, cultural barriers, and a lack of understanding of social determinants of health (SDOH) that influence patient behaviors. This gap in care can hinder the effective management of chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. The practice-focused question guiding this project was: Can an educational session using an evidence-based intervention that addresses overweight and obesity, culturally competent counseling, physical activity, and weight loss medications improve provider and staff knowledge and confidence compared to pretest scores? To address this question, an evidence-based toolkit, Promoting Healthier Weight in Adult Primary Care, was used to provide training on weight management strategies. The intervention included a pretest, an educational session, and a posttest to evaluate changes in knowledge and confidence. Findings demonstrated significant improvements in both areas. Knowledge scores increased by 41%, from a pretest mean of 10.8 to a posttest mean of 15.2 out of 20. Self-reported confidence levels also showed a marked rise, from 50% to 80%. Additionally, 75% of participants strongly agreed, and 25% agreed, that they felt more confident applying the weight management strategies. These results suggest that targeted education can improve the ability of primary care providers to offer culturally competent weight management counseling. This project has the potential to enhance provider-patient communication, increase the consistency of weight counseling in primary care, and ultimately improve patient outcomes by fostering long-term lifestyle changes.
Recommended Citation
Ngwa Shu, Fanny, "Utilizing an Evidence-Based Educational Intervention to Assess Health Care Provider Knowledge and Confidence of Weight Management Strategies in a Primary Care Setting" (2025). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 18549.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/18549
