To Role Model or Not? Nurses' Challenges in Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle

Nurses often struggle with maintaining a healthy lifestyle. While nurses are often assumed to have the knowledge to participate in health-promoting behaviors, this knowledge may not translate into sustainable change in behavior. The purpose of this descriptive study was to compare nurses' health behaviors with residents in the community where the nurses were employed. Participants (N = 166) completed the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II survey (HPLP-II) along with a demographic survey. The HPLP-II consists of six dimensions of a health-promoting lifestyle: (a) spiritual growth, (b) health responsibility, (c) physical activity, (d) nutrition, (e) interpersonal relations, and (f) stress management. Both groups scored the highest in spirituality followed by interpersonal relations. However, scores for the other HPLP-II dimensions ranked differently between the two groups. Nurses scored higher in health responsibility while the community participants scored higher on nutrition. Both groups scored the lowest on stress management and physical activity. Significant differences between groups were found only on the health responsibility dimension of the HPLP-II survey with nurses scoring higher. While nurses overall did not do any better than the general population in participating in a healthy lifestyle, patient stakeholders feel strongly that nurses should role model healthy behaviors. Employers need to be better prepared to support nurses to participate in a healthy lifestyle. Success can come from even small incremental changes (e.g., walking groups, team challenges, taking stairs) within the work environment. Furthermore, evidence-based practice teams that include administration, management, and staff are positioned to contribute through education and development of innovative workplace wellness programs.