| Description |
Objective: The aim of this review is to acknowledge the difficulty of adherence to healthy lifestyle changes, its challenge to morbidity, and to assess the effect of Motivational Interviewing (MI) as an intervention to promote adherence to lifestyle changes. Data sources: The search terms "lifestyle changes", "health education" and "motivational interviewing;" were used in the following data bases: CINAHL, Cochrane Library, Medline, PubMed. A general search of Westminster College's Giovale Library and Google were also performed. Results: In numerous studies, the use of MI leads to significant improvements in multiple health conditions, including lifestyle changes. Although, improvements are not always consistent. MI has shown improved patient participation in treatment sessions as well as positive effects on adherence to healthful lifestyle changes. Overall, MI takes less time than other active behavioral therapy interventions and can be personalized for individuals and health conditions as needed. For optimal benefit, MI may initially require frequent sessions. Using MI appropriately involves additional training for providers and the initial learning curve may require additional time for providers and patients. MI training and implementation in the field is inconsistent as no specific training model is used among practitioners. While a wide range of training models are available, techniques of guiding discussions are usually similar. Conclusions: MI offers providers with a theoretical tool for conducting discussions about behavioral changes without clinging to stricter theoretical models of change. With MI patients can incorporate improved behavior compliance in keeping with their personal health needs. |
