Nurses' ratings of their health and professional work environments.

Interactions between nursing work environments and nurses' health are of growing significance, given the aging work force, nursing shortage, and workplace health risks. This study examined relationships among nurses' ratings of health behaviors, health status, and professional work environments. Registered nurses (N = 3,132) from five multi-state settings completed an electronic survey. Participants' general health ratings were good, yet stress levels remained the one consistent predictor of poorer health ratings and work environment ratings in regression models. Additionally, more than half of the participants reported being overweight, only 50% met physical activity standards, more than two thirds reported a history of back or needlestick injuries, and 44% and 62% reported experiencing verbal abuse by colleagues and patients, respectively. Contrary to other studies, professional work environment as measured in this study did not predict nurses' health ratings. Further study of the impact of stress on long-term health outcomes and work force retention, as well as on worksite health strategies, is needed.