Purpose: To replicate research about confidence level in receiving health teaching from either an overweight or a weight-appropriate RN.
Methods: A quasi-experimental post-test only design was used. Participants were randomly assigned to be shown images of a nurse, either overweight or weight-appropriate, then asked to rate their confidence in health teaching received from that nurse. Descriptive statistics, t test for independent samples, and covariate analyses were performed.
Results: A significant difference in confidence p=0.000 was noted between participants who viewed the image of a weight-appropriate nurse and participants who viewed the image of an overweight nurse.
Conclusions: Weight-appropriate nurses may inspire more confidence in their teaching. Further study is indicated to explore the implications of these findings for practice.
Clinical relevance: Nurses need to be conscious of clients' perceptions of weight when planning teaching interventions.