Background: Globally, nurses and midwives have a higher rate of being overweight/obese than the general population, influenced by workplace environments that impact dietary habits.
Objective: This systematic review aimed to identify barriers/facilitators to healthy eating among nurses in clinical settings.
Design: This systematic review followed Joanna Briggs Institute's guidelines for qualitative systematic reviews.
Methods: Eight electronic databases: PROQUEST CENTRAL, SCIENCEDIRECT, MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, WEB SCIENCE, PUB MED, and SCOPUS were searched. Articles were screened using JBI SUMARI®, and quality assessment was done using the JBI critical appraisal checklist. Data were extracted using the JBI data extraction tool.
Results: Nine qualitative studies were reviewed, involving 488 nurses, concluding 37 distinct findings. Two synthesised findings emerged: barriers, and facilitators to healthy eating, related to organisational (shift work/long working hours), personal, physical workplace environment, and social factors.
Conclusions: The review emphasises the necessity of promoting attainable healthy eating practices at organisational, personal, environmental, and social levels within the workplace.
Registration: PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews, ID: CRD42022309259.
Keywords: Barriers; diet; facilitators; healthy eating; nurses; obesity; overweight; workplace.