Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Kristine Cope
Abstract
Background: Obesity is a significant public health concern in the United States, with increasing prevalence and substantial healthcare costs. Despite evidence-based guidelines for obesity management, primary care clinics often fail to implement them effectively, leading to missed opportunities in preventing obesity-related comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
Purpose: This evidence-based project aimed to implement the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology/Obesity Society (AHA/ACC/TOS) obesity guidelines in a rural Texas primary care clinic. The goal was to assess the effectiveness of these guidelines in reducing weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference among adults with obesity.
Methods: A pre-post intervention study was conducted over eight weeks. The project included screening patients with a BMI of 30 or greater for comorbidities, providing dietary education on a 500-750 kcal/day deficit, and recommending 200-300 minutes of physical activity per week. The MyFitnessPal app was used for self-monitoring. Data collection included pre- and post-intervention weight, BMI, and waist circumference, analyzed using paired t-tests.
Results:Among 21 participants, BMI decreased from 38.30 to 37.82 (p=0.015), weight reduced by 3.53 lbs (p=0.011), and waist circumference decreased by 1.32 inches (p
Conclusion: Implementing evidence-based obesity guidelines in a primary care setting significantly improved key obesity-related metrics. These findings highlight the feasibility and effectiveness of structured obesity interventions in primary care.
Keywords
obesity management, BMI reduction, evidence-based practice, primary care, AHA/ACC/TOS guidelines, dietary intervention, physical activity, MyFitnessPal, rural healthcare, chronic disease prevention
Disciplines
Family Practice Nursing | Medicine and Health Sciences
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Callicoat, Donna, "MANAGEMENT OF OBESITY IN ADULTS 18 AND OLDER" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Scholarly Projects. 95.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/nursing_dnpprojects/95