Obesogenic lifestyles and sustainable health: The role of nursing in advancing environmentally responsible behaviors

Abstract

Background: The health behaviors of Indonesians still tend to be obesogenic, which negatively affects both health and environmental sustainability. This study aims to analyze obesogenic behaviors among Indonesians within an ecological and environmentally behaviors framework, as well as to explore the role of nurses in promoting sustainable health. Methods: This study employed a quantitative descriptive analysis using secondary data from Book 3B of the Indonesian Family Survey Wave 5 (IFLS-5). Findings: Most respondents were adults (79.5%), female (52.3%), and married (71.1%). Only 22% of respondents engaged in vigorous physical activity, while walking was the most common activity (69.8%), but with a short daily duration. Dietary pattern showed a high frequency of obesogenic food consumption, such as fried foods (57.1%) and sweet foods (56.5%), whereas fruit consumption was relatively low (24.3%). Additionally, 21.8% of respondents sometimes experienced sleep disturbances, and 9.7% rated their sleep quality as poor. These findings indicate the influence of social and environmental factors that shape obesogenic behaviors and contribute to increased carbon emissions and food waste. Conclusion: The health behaviors of the Indonesian population need to be strengthened through an ecological approach and education that promotes environmentally sustainable behaviors. Nurses play a strategic role as educators and advocates in integrating health with environmental sustainability. Novelty/Originality of this Article: This article integrates Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory into the analysis of health behaviors and connects it to issues of environmental sustainability, highlighting the role of nurses as agents of change in promoting healthy and environmentally sustainable behaviors.