Having spent a good number of hours in the past few months with healthcare professionals, in hospitals, clinics, homecare, nursing homes, etc., I have been steadily amazed at the number of "unhealthy" healthcare workers I have seen.
And so, I have talked to a few friends, and we have very unscientifically looked at this phenomon, and have reached the following conclusion:

Six out of ten female healthcare workers (nurses, nurse's aides, lab techs, etc) are overweight, with between two and three out of ten bordering on obese.

My friends were located on the east and west coasts, and I am in the midwest, and yet the unscientific look at women in various jobs came out the same. More women in healthcare fields appeared overweight than any others. The only exception was at University Hospitals where physical fitness seemed more the norm.

This is not meant in any way as a slam at anyone or at any career field, but is meant to hopefully get folks looking at this as a possible research project for a college thesis, or research grant. The questions of why are we seeing more overweight healthcare worlkers; what is the impact on patients being told to exercise and lose weight by those who are either overweight themselves, or are surrounded by overweight coworkers; why are these healthcare facilities not being more aggressive in tackling this problem since promoting health is there stated goal; and, how are healthcare professionals able to continually be interiewed by the news media regarding the obesity problem in America and not have any questions directed at their own deficiencies in this area, all would make for good study.

It is now considered a health crisis according to some media that so many Americans are overweight, with the added risks of heart disease and shortened life spans. Where are the replacement workers going to come from if the life spans of our healthcare workers are being shortened by their own poor health/weight problems?

http://www.jokefrog.com/pictures/1400.jpg

just as easily you could look at the number of health care workers that are smokers.

or even better the overweight smokers.

Shit just look at doctors.... I know an Oncologist ( a cancer doctor ) that smokes a pack a day....... oh he is actually dead now though.... had a heart attack ...

I was always wondering the same thing. In fact its to bad in general the demand for nurses is up so much that they couldnt put a weight restriction or somesort of standards that need to be met each year..running/lifting/body fat tests. The college I attend has a nursing program and each class break you will see some out smoking and genrally looking unhealthy. They are suppose to set the examples in my opionion. I just wish people would take care of them selves period. Its not that hard to exercise and put down that fricken bigmac.

Ibudin

The average nurse is a female and 42 years old.... being old is the main problem. I do, however, think that using them as examples is kinda silly though. Making the "Nursing Olympics" is a crazy idea... haha

Maybe make it so anyone with a body fat of 30% or more loses there job? Or maybe just put them in fat prison? :)

Talid posted once something to the tune of the cure for a fat nation is simple:

"Make the stuff that is good for you not taste like shit."
"Make the stuff thats bad for you not taste so darn good!"

You could also raise the price of gas to encourage people to walk more and do away with the "This Meal is Larger than the Planet Jupiter Size"

Europeans don't live at the gym. They just walk more since its spendy to own and drive a car, and eat healthier foods.

The average nurse is a female and 42 years old.... being old is the main problem. I do, however, think that using them as examples is kinda silly though.
Nurses are not being used as examples. The hypothesis we have reached "unscientifically" is that there is a disproportionate number of females in the healthcare fields who are overweight and/or obese as compared to other fields of employment, and we think there is a problem evident and a good source of material for study, hopefully with the goal being coming up with some solutions to the "problem".

It is an easy enough test to make. In whatever town you live in you can take some time over the course of a day or a week, and keep track of the overweight/obese females workers you see and what their occupations are; then, tally up those figures and see what your most frequent occupation is, and share your info. If you can spend at least a weeks time, off and on, there will be a larger sampling and you can view more varied workplaces; i.e. banks, schools, hospitals/clinics, factories, grocery stores, retail stores, assorted office work, construction, transportation, etc.

If I were back in school I think I could come up with at least half a dozen varied theses revolving around this issue.

Being overwieght really doesn't discriminate based on occupation. You can be in construction doing physical labor 60 hours a week and yet have a beer gut. There are also many office workers who run triathalons. Its not fair to pin obesity on a particular field in most cases.

Chances are that those in the medical field don't always take care of themselves due to the fact that their occupations are stressful and they work very long hours. People don't go into the hospital when they are in prime shape. They go in there with their guts hanging out, gun shot wounds, amputated apendages, and other such tramatic injuries. Some of them die after the most valiant efforts to save them. Some whither and die slowly, with the care providers baring witness to it all. It all takes its toll and its not out of the question for bad habits to develop as a crutch. It all boils down to stress management.

Stress = rise in cortisol levels = pushes the glycolysis/gluconeogenesis pathway balance towards gluconeogenesis = weight gain (especially in the abdomenal area). Individuals who work in a position where they are chronically stressed don't get a chance to 'recover' from this as they are chronically in a siege/survival mode (physiologically). Lack of sleep/broken sleep does the same thing (causes elevated cortisol levels and weight gain). Nurses get a double whammy, frequently working rotating shifts, being under chronic stress at work, and then having to come home and deal with their children as well and so are chronically sleep deprived. Being 42 and female on average doesn't help either as, women, especially as they approach menopause, are more prone to this type of weight gain to begin with. The lack of sleep and constant low energy state due to metabolic perturbation, ironically enough, causes the individual to crave sugary or protein snacks in order to keep one's energy up, and exacerbates the problem.

All of the above is no 'excuse' for not making an attempt to take care of one's self, but it might provide some explanation for what you are seeing. I can also tell you that as someone who is 41, female, worked rotating/overnight shifts for 11 years, and currently has a very lopsided schedule (and has to lose the same 10-15 pounds every year), I can tell you that it's getting a lot harder to drop them than it used to be ;)...

Regards,
Nydia