A practical approach to lifestyle change counselling in primary care

Many contemporary medical conditions have been found to be the consequence of lifestyle choices. These adverse habit patterns have their origin in the individuals family and/or natural social network. Primary care practitioners frequently interact with their patients for the purpose of helping them resolve medical problems by clarifying issues or presenting different options. In lifestyle related conditions, the initiation and maintenance of possible behaviour changes is usually the optimal resolution. How people intentionally change well-established behaviour patterns is still not well understood, and most clinicians are not confident in their ability to help patients alter adverse behaviours. Several studies provide support for a 'stage-matched framework' of behaviour change that integrates readiness for change with intervention processes from various theoretical models. This article provides a brief overview of the current thinking with respect to self-initiated and professionally facilitated behaviour change, and then describes a generic five-step approach to individualized lifestyle counselling for use in primary care clinical settings.