Implications for clients when nurses view weight as main cause of Type 2 diabetes in primary care

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is often seen as primarily caused by weight, and its amelioration associated with individual behaviour change, which has the potential for negative consequences for people living with the disease. The aims of this study were to explore how weight was framed by diabetes resource nurses and to determine the implications of that framing for nurse practice in a primary care setting in Australia. The research was a qualitative empirical case study using semistructured interviews with nurses focusing on meanings and interpretations. The findings were interpreted using a constructivist epistemology of both inductive and deductive inference. The study found that nurses viewed overweight and obesity as unhealthy and the primary causes of T2D, and that weight was frequently discussed in the health care encounter. Nurses emphasised individual responsibility through behaviour change to manage T2D, downplaying other known causes such as age and family history and important social inequalities. Studies show that nurses have negative attitudes towards overweight and obese patients. The implications of this research are that the nurses’ views could potentially negatively affect clients’ management of T2D, which has the potential for poor health outcomes.