Does health guidance concerning lifestyle disease prevention spread to spouses? A qualitative study

To describe how a health guidance programme provided to one person influences change in their spouse's health behaviours.

Individuals are indirectly affected by the health behaviours of those close to them; therefore, it is likely that guidance on the prevention of lifestyle disease modifies the behaviour of targeted individuals and their family members. In a previous study, approximately 30% of families displayed positive health changes because one individual family member received health guidance.

This study used an inductive, exploratory, qualitative design.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with spouses of persons who participated in a health guidance programme for lifestyle-related disease prevention. Data were analysed from 11 spouses (all women; M_age  = 61.0 ± 9.1 years) using a modified grounded theory approach. This study was conducted according to the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ; see Appendix S1).

The process of change in each spouse was a result of their partner's influence, which changed from a stage of assisting, where the spouse contemplated {I am just a supporter} to the partner, to a stage where the spouse thought {I am also a player}, and she engaged in her own health improvement practices.

For a spouse to change from assisting their partner to becoming a practitioner of their own health improvement, the spouse needed to experience a sense of surprise at the changes in her partner, through calm observation of the partner's attitude. Through the spreading effect of health guidance utilisation, indirect encouragement could be expected, even when people have difficulty accessing healthcare services.

This type of spreading effect from one participant to a family member could perhaps assist health guidance provisions so that disease prevention becomes more efficient.