Implementation of a low-budget, lifestyle-improvement method in an ordinary primary healthcare setting: a stepwise intervention study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate, in an ordinary primary healthcare setting, the effects of a screening questionnaire and a self-administered health profile dealing with special reference to the involvement of motivated individuals in need of lifestyle changes. DESIGN: Intervention study in a naturalistic context, using a screening questionnaire offered to consecutive patients, followed by a self-administered health profile and a health dialogue. SETTING: Hisingen primary healthcare area (130 033 inhabitants), Gothenburg, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: Men and women aged between 18 and 79, visiting any of the eight public primary healthcare centres (PCC) during an 8-month period, were presented with a screening questionnaire and, were offered, a health profile, a plasma glucose (p-glucose), blood pressure check and a health dialogue. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Motivation level, negative lifestyle factors in screening questionnaire and intraindividual changes in blood pressure, p-glucose, body mass index (BMI) and lifestyle factors between baseline and 1-year follow-up. RESULTS: Subjects with less favourable lifestyle and higher motivation chose to participate. A higher percentage of presumptive participants reported a less favourable lifestyle. The presumptive participants also indicated higher motivation. Participants showed more readiness to initiate lifestyle changes compared to non-participants (p<0.001). At 1-year follow-up significant reductions in BMI, waist circumference, waist–hip ratio (WHR), blood pressure and p-glucose were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the method is on target and applicable to motivated individuals with a ‘risk profile’. A pedagogical model including a self-administered health-profile and a health dialogue, combined with emphasising the individual's own resources, seems to be a feasible method for effective preventive work in primary healthcare.