Self-Perception of Weight Status in Chinese Nurses and Its Influencing Factors: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Misperceptions of weight status among nurses might distort expectations for weight control, leading to potentially misleading guidance. This study aimed to assess the agreement between self-perceived weight status and BMI-based classification among Chinese nurses, and to evaluate factors associated with perception bias. A convenience sample of 5786 registered nurses from 25 institutions was surveyed between May and September 2021. The mean BMI of nurses in this study was 21.59 ± 3.02 kg/m2, overweight and obesity accounted for 16.10% and 3.30%, respectively. The self-perceived overweight and obesity rates among nurses in China were 25.29% and 15.24%, respectively. The Kappa value of the consistency analysis between subjective weight perception and objective BMI was 0.364, and the overall overestimation rate was 35.66%. Factors associated with weight misperception were gender, educational background, number of metabolic diseases, family history of obesity, and physical exercise (p < 0.05). In conclusion, self-perceived weight status showed poor agreement with BMI among Chinese nurses, primarily characterized by overestimation.