Exercise habits of licensed nurses and nursing assistants: are they meeting national guidelines?

Research shows licensed practical nurses and nursing assistants (NAs) have high rates of obesity and hypertension, potentially from limited engagement in physical activity (PA). Therefore, the purpose of this paper was to describe the self-reported exercise engagement, of licensed nurses (i.e., registered and licensed practical nurses) and NAs. We performed a secondary data analysis of two studies that used the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System - PA questionnaire to assess PA levels. The sample consisted of 31 NAs and 40 licensed nurses. Our findings show 50 (56.9%) NAs and licensed nurses report they engage in enough exercise to meet national guidelines. Our sample reported engaging in more exercise than the general population. We suspect measurement biases as over half of our sample reported engaging in at least 300 min of exercise each week. The potential over-reporting could be due to the perception of their work since they do not have sedentary jobs.