A Holistic Patient-Centered Lifestyle Intervention for Health Promotion in Southern Peru

Background: Comprehensive lifestyle interventions (CLIs) support health promotion and management of health conditions. In Peru, health screenings and referral to CLI programs are lacking. Objectives: To implement an evidence-based SBIRT (screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment) process to detect and respond to obesity among community members of Jerusalén Nueva Esperanza and achieve measurable health behavior change among CLI program participants. Methods: Movimiento Nueva Esperanza (MNE) was an 8-week data-driven implementation of four PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) cycles of rapid improvement informed by run charts, field notes, and aggregate data. MNE's aim was a 30% improvement in participants' Nueva Esperanza Score (NES), a holistic health measure. Process and outcome measures included tool utilization, behavior changes, and team self-efficacy. Results: Obesity screening increased from 20% to 67%. In-person enrollment reached 56%, and cumulative attendance among active enrollees was 46%. Team self-efficacy improved by 21%. Postintervention NES assessment revealed a 25% improvement. Conclusions: MNE's holistic patient-centered processes resulted in meaningful behavior changes and improved team self-efficacy. MNE's successes validate holistic health screenings, patient-centered shared decision-making, and asset-based team management. Implications for Nursing: As community health advocates and leaders of interdisciplinary teams, nurses are uniquely positioned to support holistic patient-centered lifestyle changes in diverse settings by implementing interventions like MNE.