Intensive care nurses' implicit and explicit attitudes and their behavioural intentions towards obese intensive care patients.

AIMS: To examine qualified intensive care nurses' implicit and explicit attitudes towards obese intensive care patients and whether their attitudes are associated with their behavioural intentions towards these patients. BACKGROUND: Obese intensive care patients may experience more stress than do normal-weight patients. Intensive care nurses' attitudes and the way they address their care are thus vital. Despite a range of studies revealing that health professionals hold anti-fat attitudes towards obese patients, there is a lack of knowledge about intensive care nurses' implicit and explicit attitudes and if such attitudes are associated with behavioural intention. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey. METHODS: From November 2017 - January 2018, a web-based survey was conducted with 159 qualified intensive care nurses (84.3% women, mean age 45.52 years) recruited through 16 intensive care units and Facebook. The survey consisted of implicit attitude tests, explicit bias scales, the Anti-fat Attitude questionnaire, vignettes measuring behavioural intention, and demographic questions. RESULTS: Intensive care nurses reported implicit preferences for thin over thick people and found obese individuals slightly 'worse' and 'lazy', comprising less willpower than thin individuals. Attitudes were not associated with behavioural intention. CONCLUSION: This study provides new knowledge about qualified intensive care nurses' anti-fat attitudes and behavioural intention towards obese intensive care patients. These findings should be acknowledged by policymakers, clinical healthcare providers and educators to secure optimal care for these patients. IMPACT STATEMENT: These results should be used in nursing attitude change programmes, in intensive care units, and among nursing educators, focusing on increasing nurses' knowledge of the complexities of obesity. Further research on obese intensive care patients' healthcare experiences and the impact that healthcare providers' anti-fat attitudes and behaviours has on patients' perceived care quality is needed.

[The silence of a body and speech set free]. / Les silences d'un corps et la parole libérée.

Anorexia is a reflection of issues with the body in all its states. The social body and the representation of a model's body, mistreated in order to meet certain standards, the medical body shaken by the mystery of anorexia, and the subjective body and the reality of the flesh. The anorexic body is a testament to a past full of pain and neglect, a sign of emotional deficiency. Caring for the body of a person with anorexia, whatever the approach, means also and above all working with the future of a human being.

Dying to be thin. Your guide to today's mental health issues.

With increased awareness of under 12s, as well as older children, developing serious eating disorders there is an urgent need for early recognition and treatment, as Dr Agnes Ayton explains.

Assignment of Registered Dietitians and Other Healthcare Professionals Positively Affects Weight Change of Underweight Patients in Convalescent (Kaifukuki) Rehabilitation Wards: A Secondary Analysis of a Nationwide Survey.

This study aimed to verify the relationship between assignment of professional registered dietitians (RDs) and other healthcare professionals and body weight or functional outcome in underweight patients. This was a secondary analysis of the nation-wide survey data from Kaifukuki (convalescent) rehabilitation wards (KRWs). Data of patients aged ≥20 y with disabilities and body mass index (BMI) <18.5 kg/m2 and who were discharged from 1,099 KRWs were analyzed. The primary outcome was BMI at discharge. Secondary outcomes were Functional Independence Measure (FIM) at discharge and returning to home. Patients were divided into two groups: those in KRWs with ≥1 or <1 dedicated RD per ward (KRW/RD+ and KRW/RD-, respectively). Of 5,843 eligible participants (female, 63%; median age, 82 y; hip/vertebral/knee fracture, 47%; stroke, 34%; disuse syndrome secondary to acute illness, 11%; others, 8%), 1,288 and 4,555 were from the KRW/RD+ and KRW/RD- groups, respectively. At discharge, KRW/RD+ patients had higher FIM (93 vs. 90) and BMI (17.1 vs. 17.0 kg/m2) than did KRW/RD- patients. Multivariable analysis showed that assignment of dedicated RDs (B=0.213, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.036-0.389), number of nurses (B=0.023, 95% CI, 0.003-0.043), and daily rehabilitation dose were significantly associated with changes in body weight. Furthermore, these factors positively affected BMI at discharge. Number of nurses and rehabilitation dose correlated with FIM, but assignment of RDs did not correlate with FIM. In conclusion, assignment of RDs, nurses, and sufficient rehabilitation dose may contribute to BMI gain. Nurses and daily rehabilitation dose may positively affect functional recovery.

Older Adults With Unintended Weight Loss: The Role of Appetite Stimulants.

The increasing older adult population guarantees that healthcare providers are more likely to encounter patients requiring treatment for unintended weight loss. Due to physiologic changes that occur in the older adult, it is important to know how to assess for, and diagnose unintended weight loss, as well as understand the treatment options. In addition to the use of enteral and parenteral nutrition, appetite stimulants have been used in older adults. Understanding the dosage, side effects, and proper usage of appetite stimulants, such megestrol acetate, mirtazapine, and dronabinol, is crucial in order to provide safe and effective patient care.

Fathers, daughters, and anorexia nervosa.

PURPOSE: The study described the nature and meaning of the father-daughter relationship throughout the daughter's (N = 11) life from the perspective of the daughter, who has been in a 2-year recovery from anorexia nervosa (AN). Particular consideration was given to the changes over time. DESIGN AND METHODS: A narrative analysis method was used to examine the daughter's stories. FINDINGS: Several patterns emerged. This study is an exploration of the paths and processes that lead to, through, and into recovery from AN with regard to the father-daughter relationship. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The results have implications for nursing practice, research, and health policy.

Caring for undernourished patients in an orthopaedic setting.

This study elucidates the nursing of undernourished patients as experienced by eight registered clinical nurses and five nursing assistants by using content analysis. The participants' narratives describe the inner perspective of caring for undernourished patients, known in Sweden as 'the thin ones'. Categories identified were: frustration in nursing, joy in nursing and that undernourishment is taboo. The taboo was narrated as feelings of guilt and shame. Frustration in nursing could be seen as feeling stressed, exposed, lonely, powerless, helpless, and being torn between demands and needs. Joy in nursing was experienced when creating a trusting relationship, promoting pleasure in the meal situation and working with respect for each individual's life-style and context of life. Understanding staff members' views is important when implementing guidelines as well as in the teaching situation in order to identify where staff stand with regard to knowledge and attitudes.