Identifying Behaviour Change Techniques and Motivational Interviewing Techniques in Small Steps for Big Changes: A...

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) can be reduced through diet and exercise changes. Given the rapidly increasing prevalence of T2D and the associated burden on the health-care system, there is a need for affordable and scalable diet and exercise programs to be delivered in communities. Small Steps for Big Changes (SSBC) is an evidence-based diabetes prevention program for improving diet and exercise adherence in individuals at risk for developing T2D. Detailed reporting of intervention components as SSBC transitions from laboratory to communities is an essential step to understand its effectiveness and subsequent uptake.

The aim of this study was to identify comprehensively the behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and motivational interviewing techniques used within the community-based SSBC. Intervention components were extracted from the SSBC session protocols using the Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy v1 and the Table of Motivational Interviewing Techniques.

Forty-three BCTs (interrater reliability [kappa]=0.77; prevalence and bias-adjusted kappa=0.78) and 20 MI techniques (kappa=0.63; prevalence and bias-adjusted kappa=0.64) were identified within SSBC session protocols (mean BCTs per session=30, mean MI techniques per session=16).

Consistent and thorough reporting of intervention components as seen in the current analysis is crucial for future meta-analyses to accurately test which intervention components are eliciting change in desired outcomes and can inform which components should be adapted to different settings. SSBC sessions had an emphasis on BCT categories, including "Goals and Planning," "Feedback and Monitoring" and "Repetition and Substitution," and MI technique processes, including "Engaging" and "Evoking." Use of these categories and processes can inform development of future effective diabetes prevention programs.