Award Date

1-1-1996

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Nursing

First Committee Member

Margaret Louis

Number of Pages

115

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the stigma of obesity and its effect on health care utilization. The associations between self-esteem, attribution for weight, body mass index (BMI), satisfaction with medical care and the behavior of delaying/avoiding health care were examined. King's Interacting Systems Framework provided the conceptual framework for this study. Self-administered questionnaires were completed by 216 women recruited from church sites in a southwest city; Correlations, multiple regressions, and analysis of variance were used to analyze the data. An increase in BMI is associated with an increase in delay/avoidance of health care. Weight-related and non-weight-related reasons, including a lack of confidence in the health care provider, were cited as deterrents to seeking health care; Healthy People 2000 includes goals to reduce obesity-related morbidity and mortality. Providing supportive and holistic health care to obese clients reduces the stigma of obesity, promotes continuity of care and assists progression toward these goals.

Keywords

Association; Avoidance; Body; Care; Exploring; Health; Weight

Controlled Subject

Women's studies; Nursing; Social psychology; Public health

File Format

pdf

File Size

2119.68 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Permissions

If you are the rightful copyright holder of this dissertation or thesis and wish to have the full text removed from Digital Scholarship@UNLV, please submit a request to digitalscholarship@unlv.edu and include clear identification of the work, preferably with URL.

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Download


COinS