KUKU

KU ScholarWorks

  • myKU
  • Email
  • Enroll & Pay
  • KU Directory
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Dissertations and Theses
    • Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Dissertations and Theses
    • Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Weighing In: Overweight, Working Women’s Descriptions of Body Weight and Weight Management

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    Available after: 2022-05-31 (2.024Mb)
    Issue Date
    2021-05-31
    Author
    Fisher, Amenda Michele
    Publisher
    University of Kansas
    Format
    240 pages
    Type
    Dissertation
    Degree Level
    Ph.D.
    Discipline
    Nursing
    Rights
    Copyright held by the author.
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    Obesity is a growing public health concern associated with poor health outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and decreased human productivity. Women are inordinately impacted by obesity. The insidious nature of weight gain and the numerous factors (e.g., environmental, psychological, and socioeconomic) that contribute to obesity make it a complex problem to address. While government healthcare policies and initiatives focus on treating obesity to prevent secondary chronic conditions, few robust public efforts are dedicated to the prevention of obesity in adults. Some employers have responded to the need for obesity prevention with an increase in employer-sponsored weight management programs, yet program success has been inconsistent. While comprehensive individualized programs are among the most effective programs, they are also the costliest to implement across populations. Understanding body weight and weight management from the perspective of population subsets may facilitate more affordable, tailored approaches to designing effective weight management programs to prevent obesity. However, there is little information available about overweight working women’s perspectives of body weight and weight management. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study, guided by Pender’s health promotion model, was to examine overweight working women’s perceptions and experiences with body weight and weight management. Eleven overweight working women aged 18 years or older who had attempted weight loss volunteered for individual, semi-structured interviews. The interview data were analyzed using deductive content analysis to answer six research questions (RQs): RQ1: How do overweight, working women describe body weight? RQ2: What are overweight, working women’s experiences of weight management? RQ3 What factors contribute to weight gain according to overweight, working women? RQ4 What factors promote weight maintenance and loss in overweight, working women? RQ5: What weight maintenance and loss methods are preferred by overweight, working women? and RQ6: What are the barriers to weight maintenance and loss for overweight, working women? Data analysis revealed Weight Management as a Lifestyle depicted through six themes: Theme 1: Beyond a Number on the Scale, included participants descriptions of different body weights in relation to self and others. Theme 2: A Matter of Time, Effort, and Commitment, focused on women’s perceptions of effort and weight management strategies. Theme 3: Calories in Versus Calories Out, contained details about behaviors and negative environmental, social, psychological influences that contributed to weight gain. Theme 4: Iteration to Automaticity: Journey from Behavior to Habit to Lifestyle, described personal motivations, mindsets, behaviors, and influential factors that promoted weight maintenance or loss in overweight, working women. Theme 5: Programs, Interventions, Techniques, and Support delineated preferred methods of weight maintenance or loss. Theme 6, Roadblocks: Life and Work encompassed physiological conditions, financial, knowledge, and time constrains, along with environmental and psychosocial barriers to working women’s engagement in healthy weight-related behaviors. Findings from this study provided foundational knowledge about overweight working women’s perspectives on body weight, perceived benefits of and barriers to healthy behaviors, environmental and psychosocial factors that influenced weight-related behaviors and preferred methods of weight control. Insights may help inform future development of employer-sponsored weight management programs for working women.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/31770
    Collections
    • Dissertations [4472]

    Items in KU ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.


    We want to hear from you! Please share your stories about how Open Access to this item benefits YOU.


    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    Browse

    All of KU ScholarWorksCommunities & CollectionsThis Collection

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    The University of Kansas
      Contact KU ScholarWorks
    Lawrence, KS | Maps
     
    • Academics
    • Admission
    • Alumni
    • Athletics
    • Campuses
    • Giving
    • Jobs

    The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.

     Contact KU
    Lawrence, KS | Maps