Assessment of job stress level in nurses with overweight and obesity and its relationship with demographic factors

Introduction & Aim: Considering the adverse effects of obesity and job stress on physical and mental health of health care workers and also reducing the quality of care, the present study was conducted with the aim of assessing the level of job stress in overweight and obese nurses and its relationship with demographic factors. Methods: The present descriptive-correlational study population included 142 nurses and nurse assistance who were selected by convenience sampling method. Body mass index of nurses and nursing assistances was calculated and people with overweight and obesity were selected. The standard OSIPOW job stress questionnaire was distributed among samples, which consists of two parts, including demographic characteristics of samples and dimensions such as workload, incompetence, duality, role range, responsibility and physical environment. Based on the scores in each area, the level of job stress was determined and divided into four levels: lower than normal, normal stress, moderate stress and severe stress. Statistical analysis of the collected data was performed using SPSS 21 software. Results: More than 57% of the samples had moderate and severe stress. Body mass index is significantly higher than the standard number (07/179 vs. 149), which indicates the presence of overweight and obesity in these people. In general, there was no significant relationship between overweight and obesity with job stress (P>.05).There was also no significant difference between the mean job stress of gender, age, education and work experience (P>.05). The only difference was related to different job positions, so that the nursing assistance group had the lowest level of stress and the head nurse group had the highest level of job stress. Conclusion: Due to the high level of job stress and over weight of nurses, it is suggested to take steps to reduce issues related to overweight and job stress with appropriate management measures and periodic planning.