Date of Award
Summer 8-4-2026
Document Type
Scholarly Project
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
First Advisor
Dr. Jessica Comstock, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC
Second Advisor
Dr. Janice Dunlap, DNP, ARNP, AGPCNP-BC, ACNS-BC
Abstract
Practice Problem: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 2 in 5 adults in the United States are obese (CDC, 2024a). In a rural primary care clinic in South Carolina, approximately 70% of patients are obese and there is no current intervention in place to help educate and guide these patients in weight loss strategies.
PICOT: In obese adults over the age of 18 at a rural health clinic with a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30, does implementing weekly virtual and in person multicomponent behavioral intervention educational sessions compared to standard care encourage a mean weight loss of 1-2 pounds per week over 6 weeks?
Evidence: An extensive literature review and evidence search was conducted and revealed 9 randomized controlled trials and 2 systematic reviews in support of using multicomponent behavioral interventions to promote weight loss, the benefits of weight loss in the primary care setting, and weight loss leading to reduced medical comorbidities.
Intervention: The DNP project manager provided education on physical activity and diet recommendations to obese patients who presented to the rural health clinic and followed up virtually each week to provide support and monitor progress.
Outcome: Only 37.7% of patients answered the weekly phone call to assess their progress and 0% of patients returned to the clinic to assess a final weight. Of the patients that answered the phone call, 73.3% reported barriers to participating, 36.7% reported adherence to physical activity guidelines, and 56.7% reported adherence to the dietary guidelines.
Conclusion: There was no statistically significant outcome measured for this project, but barriers and limitations were identified for future implications.
Recommended Citation
Trusley, M. P. (2026). Addressing Obesity in Rural Health Clinics. [Doctoral project, University of St Augustine for Health Sciences]. SOAR @ USA: Student Scholarly Projects Collection. https://doi.org/10.46409/sr.ZSRH5383
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Included in
Community Health and Preventive Medicine Commons, Family Practice Nursing Commons, Rural Health Commons
Comments
Scholarly project submitted to the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice.