Locus of Control and Strategies of Nurse Managers in Addressing Obesity Among Nurses in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

This quantitative descriptive-correlational study examined nurse managers’ work and health locus of control, the weight-control strategies they reported, and relationships among these measures and sociodemographic characteristics in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The target population comprised 1,055 nurse managers; 285 were sampled across four managerial strata and 275 completed an online questionnaire (96.49% response rate). The instruments were adapted from the Work Locus of Control Scale, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and Weight Control Strategies Scale. Frequency distributions, means, standard deviations, and correlation analyses were used. Most respondents demonstrated an external work locus-of-control orientation (53.82%), while internal health control was rated high for 69.82% of respondents. Overall weight-control strategies were classified as high or consistent among 55.27%, with dietary choices and psychological coping more frequently endorsed than self-monitoring. The most pronounced positive association with overall strategies concerned the Powerful Others health locus-of-control dimension (r = .534, p < .01); internal health control (r = .181, p < .01) and work locus of control (r = .200, p < .01) showed weaker positive associations, whereas Chance was not significantly related to overall strategies (r = .087, p = .150). Selected demographic measures were significantly associated with control beliefs and reported strategies. The findings inform a proposed nurse-led health-promotion policy and Healthy Nurse, Healthy Workforce Initiative, emphasizing managerial support, individualized behavior-change resources, and sustainable workplace conditions. Because the design was cross-sectional and relied on managers’ reports, the findings do not establish causal effects or measured changes in staff-nurse obesity.