Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Nursing

Advisor

Catherine Garner

Abstract

Rates of obesity and the associated comorbidities continue to increase for women in the United States. Despite information available, efforts at weight loss are often unsuccessful because women lack integral knowledge of how to approach the various components essential for weight loss. This doctoral project was created to address the practice question of whether obesity can be reduced through a step-wise weight loss program that identifies essential elements to reduce weight in menopausal age women. Guided by the information-motivation-behavioral skills model, this project led 17 volunteer participants from a Northwest, Florida primary care clinic through 6 weeks of protocols supplemented with Facebook interactions. A pretest/posttest comparison showed increased knowledge regarding weight loss and increased self-efficacy as measured by the PANSE scale. All participants had some decrease in weight and an average of a drop in systolic blood pressure of 4 mmHg. This supports the use of a nurse-lead structured education and support model for improved weight loss in women. This project can lead to positive social change with the ability to assist women with obesity and hypertensive disorders, thus reducing morbidity and mortality as well as improving quality of life.

Included in

Nursing Commons

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