Lifestyle Practices and Health Status among Staff Nurses

Abstract

This study determined the lifestyle practices and health status of staff nurses in a selected hospital in Rizal Province, Philippines, as a basis for a proposed workplace wellness program. Anchored on Pender's Health Promotion Model, it used a descriptive-correlational design with 120 staff nurses selected through stratified random sampling. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire patterned after the six domains of the health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile II, together with measured body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure, and were analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's r at the 0.05 level of significance. Most respondents were 26–30 years old, female, single, had 3–5 years of experience, worked rotating shifts, and were assigned to the wards. Overall lifestyle practices were moderate (M = 3.24), highest in spiritual growth (M = 4.04) and interpersonal relations (M = 3.95), and lowest in physical activity (M = 2.41). Self-rated health was moderate (M = 3.20), yet 55.0% of the nurses were overweight or obese and 41.6% had elevated or hypertensive blood pressure. The most common conditions were hyperacidity/GERD (21.7%), back pain (18.3%), and anxiety or sleep problems (15.0%). Work shift was the only profile variable with a significant difference in lifestyle practices (F = 5.42, p = 0.006), with fixed day-shift nurses scoring higher than those on rotating and fixed night shifts. Overall lifestyle practices had a significant moderate positive relationship with health status (r = 0.512, p < 0.001), with stress management, physical activity, and nutrition showing the strongest associations; physical activity was also negatively correlated with BMI (r = −0.287, p = 0.001). The study concludes that staff nurses, particularly those on rotating and night shifts, face hidden cardiometabolic risks linked to inadequate lifestyle practices. A Nurses' Wellness Program featuring regular BMI and blood pressure screening, healthy food options on all shifts, shift-friendly fitness activities, stress management and counseling support, and peer support groups is proposed.