‘Making every contact count’: Evaluation of the impact of an intervention to train health and social care practitioners in skills to support health behaviour change
Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online February, 2016
‘Making every contact count’: Evaluation of the impact of an intervention to train health and social care practitioners in skills to support health behaviour change
A total of 148 health and social care practitioners were trained in skills to support behaviour change: creating opportunities to discuss health behaviours, using open discovery questions, listening, reflecting and goal-setting. At three time points post-training, use of the skills was evaluated and compared with use of skills by untrained practitioners. Trained practitioners demonstrated significantly greater use of these client-centred skills to support behaviour change compared to their untrained peers up to 1 year post-training. Because it uses existing services to deliver support for behaviour change, this training intervention has the potential to improve public health at relatively low cost.
AbrahamCGardnerB (2009) What psychological and behaviour changes are initiated by ‘expert patient’ training and what training techniques are most helpful?Psychology & Health24(10): 1153–1165.
2.
AounSShahidSLeL. (2013) The role and influence of ‘Champions’ in a community-based lifestyle risk modification programme. Journal of Health Psychology18(4): 528–541.
3.
AveyardPBeghRParsonsA. (2012) Brief opportunistic smoking cessation interventions: A systematic review and meta-analysis to compare advice to quit and offer of assistance. Addiction107(6): 1066–1073.
4.
BarkerMBairdJLawrenceW. (2011) The Southampton initiative for health: A complex intervention to improve the diets and increase the physical activity levels of women from disadvantaged communities. Journal of Health Psychology16(1): 178–191.
BlackCLawrenceWCradockS. (2012) Healthy conversation skills: Increasing competence and confidence in front-line staff. Public Health Nutrition17(3): 700–707.
7.
BuckDFrosiniF (2012) Clustering of Unhealthy Behaviours Over Time: Implications for Policy and Practice. London: The King’s Fund.
8.
ButlerCCSimpsonSAHoodK. (2013) Training practitioners to deliver opportunistic multiple behaviour change counselling in primary care: A cluster randomised trial. BMJ346: f1191.
9.
CampbellCMurrayM (2004) Community health psychology: Promoting analysis and action for social change. Journal of Health Psychology9(2): 187–195.
10.
DaviesJJohnsonM (2008) Southampton Sure Start Children’s Centres Training Needs Assessment: Final Report. Southampton: Southampton City PCT.
11.
De HaanO (2010) From patient to client. Patient Education and Counselling81: 442–447.
12.
ForsbergLErnstDFarbringCA (2011) Learning motivational interviewing in a real-life setting: A randomised controlled trial in the Swedish prison service. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health21(3): 177–188.
13.
GardnerBCaneJRumseyN. (2012) Behaviour change among overweight and socially disadvantaged adults: A longitudinal study of the NHS Health Trainer Service. Psychology & Health27(10): 1178–1193.
14.
HettemaJSteeleJMillerWR (2005) Motivational interviewing. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology1: 91–111.
15.
KrippendorffK (2004) Content Analysis: An Introduction to Its Methodology (2nd edn). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
16.
LawrenceWKeyteJTinatiT. (2012) A mixed-methods investigation to explore how women living in disadvantaged areas might be supported to improve their diets. Journal of Health Psychology17(6): 785–798.
17.
LorigKRHolmanH (2003) Self-management education: History, definition, outcomes, and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine26(1): 1–7.
18.
LundahlBBurkeBL (2009) The effectiveness and applicability of motivational interviewing: A practice-friendly review of four meta-analyses. Journal of Child Psychology65(1): 1232–1245.
19.
McCambridgeJStrangJ (2004) The efficacy of single-session motivational interviewing in reducing drug consumption and perceptions of drug-related risk and harm among young people: Results from a multi-site cluster randomised trial. Addiction99: 39–52.
20.
MarleySCCarbonneauKLocknerD. (2011) Motivational interviewing skills are positively associated with nutritionist self-efficacy. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior43(1): 28–34.
21.
MarteauTMOgilvieDRolandM. (2011) Judging nudging: Can nudging improve population health?BMJ342: d228.
22.
MichieSJochelsonKMarkhamW. (2009) Low-income groups and behaviour change interventions: A review of intervention content, effectiveness and theoretical frameworks. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health63(8): 610–622.
23.
MooreGFMooreLMurphyS (2012) Integration of motivational interviewing into practice in the national exercise referral scheme in Wales: A mixed methods study. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy40(3): 313–330.
24.
MoyerAFinneyJWSwearingenCE. (2002) Brief interventions for alcohol problems: A meta-analytic review of controlled investigations in treatment-seeking and non-treatment-seeking populations. Addiction97: 279–292.
25.
MurphySBennettP (2004) Health psychology and public health: Theoretical possibilities. Journal of Health Psychology9(1): 13–27.
26.
NHS Future Forum (2012) NHS Future Forum – Summary Report Second Phase. London: Department of Health, NHS Future Forum.
27.
RollnickSMillerWR (1995) What is motivational interviewing?Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy23: 325–334.
28.
SkinnerTCCareyMECradockS.; DESMOND Collaborative (2008) ‘Educator talk’ and patient change: Some insights from the DESMOND (Diabetes Education and Self-Management for Ongoing and Newly Diagnosed) randomized controlled trial. Diabetic Medicine25: 1117–1120.
29.
Southampton City Council (2013) Index of Multiple Deprivation 2010 (8-1-0013). Southampton: Southampton City Council.
30.
SpanouCSimpsonSAHoodK. (2010) Preventing disease through opportunistic, rapid engagement by primary care teams using behaviour change counselling (PRE-EMPT): Protocol for a general practice-based cluster randomised trial. BMC Family Practice11: 69.
31.
TinatiTLawrenceWNtaniG. (2012) Implementation of new healthy conversation skills to support lifestyle changes – What helps and what hinders?Health & Social Care in the Community20(4): 430–437.
32.
WilkinsonRInskipH (2006) The health and wellbeing of women in Southampton’s communities: An analysis of the Southampton Women’s Survey. Southampton City NHS Primary Care Trust, April.
