Purpose/objectives: This study describes actual and perceived health status as well as health habits and needs of hospital employees. The Transtheoretical Model "stages of change" provided the study framework. SETTING, SAMPLE, AND METHODS: Employees (N = 1,295) from a large Midwestern hospital participated in 3 annual health fairs and completed questionnaires and received physical measurements of height, weight, blood pressure, and blood lipid levels.
Findings: During the 3-year period, 56% of individuals met body mass indices indicating overweight and obese status, 74% of the employees reported feeling overweight and desired to lose an average of 32 lb per individual, 51% of employees wanted to increase their daily physical activity levels, and 75% of participants stated they were already preparing for or taking action to change unhealthy behaviors.
Conclusions and implications for practice: As a result of the health fair data, hospital-based clinical nurse specialists are currently piloting interventions geared specifically toward enhancing weight control and increasing exercise in hospital employees.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the advanced practice role of nurses with master's degrees in community/public health nursing using their experiences and perspectives. The purposive sample consisted of 10 nurses who had master's degrees in community/public health nursing and were working in a variety of community health settings. Data were collected using audiotaped interviews and 1-day observations of study participants in their workplaces. An editing analysis technique was used to analyze the data. Findings indicated that role characteristics included advocacy and policy setting at the organizational, community, and state levels; a leadership style centered on empowerment; a broad sphere of influence; and high-level skills in large-scale program planning, project management, and building partnerships. Results provide important descriptive data about significant aspects of the advanced practice role of nurses with master's degrees in community/public health nursing.

