Date of Graduation

5-2022

Document Type

Capstone

Keywords

Weight loss; MyFitnessPal©; Primary care; Body mass index; Obesity

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Degree Level

Graduate

Advisor/Mentor

Bradley, Callie

Committee Member

Shreve, Marilou

Abstract

Obesity is a growing health concern that is linked to the development of chronically debilitating physical and mental illnesses. Obesity is a result of a long-term positive imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. Evidence has shown more than one third of U.S. adults suffer from obesity. Primary care providers in the United States report being overburdened in treating obesity, citing a lack of time, structured approach, and structured resources. Furthermore, the disparities in obesity are even more prevalent in rural areas where older adults are the fastest growing part of the population at risk for this disease. Evidence indicates smart mobile applications such as MyFitnessPal© may have increased results of sustained long-term weight loss. The project occurred in a rural primary care clinic in West Fork, Arkansas, where current practice includes brief weight loss education, scarce resources, and minimal follow-up. The purpose of this project was to reduce the BMI in overweight and obese patients at a rural primary clinic through the implementation of a weight management program utilizing MyFitnessPal©. Utilizing a quasi-experimental design, the project resulted in weight loss, decrease in blood pressure, high satisfaction with the MyFitnessPal© application, and frequency of utilizing MyFitnessPal©. However, there was not a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in weight change or BMI (t=-.156; n=24: p=.877). Overall, the determined effectiveness of the MyFitnessPal© intervention was clinically and practically significant.

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