Attitudes and Behaviors of Nurses and Nursing Students Toward Patients with Obesity: A Systematized Review

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of people with obesity is increasing worldwide, facing challenges in terms of discrimination and prejudice across all settings, including healthcare. Objective: The objective of this review is to compare and synthesize recent scientific literature regarding nurses' behaviors and attitudes toward patients with obesity. Methods: A systematized methodology was employed, conducting a literature search of studies published in the bibliographic resources (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, Web of Science, and Scopus from 2018 to 2023); using specific terms combined with the Boolean operators, AND and OR. Inclusion criteria: Quantitative, qualitative, or mixed research conducted on nurses and/or nursing students in a context focused on the care of adult patients with obesity. Critical appraisal tools from the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) were used to evaluate the included studies, and their level of evidence was also determined. Results: Initially, the search yielded 166 articles, of which 14 were included in this review. The results found focused on the use of scales and tools heterogeneous to each other. The findings can be categorized into two main areas: studies investigating interventions aimed at reducing negative behaviors related to weight bias and prejudice, and studies focusing on assessing these attitudes. The evidence points in a consistent direction: nurses exhibit negative attitudes toward patients with obesity. Conclusions: The need for multilevel strategies, from clinical to academic training, to address this challenge is highlighted, alongside the development of research that complements the current evidence with a deeper and more detailed understanding of this phenomenon.

Keywords: nurse–patient relations; obesity; social stigma; stereotyping; weight prejudice.

Figure 1

Article selection process following the PRISMA 2020 flow diagram.