'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. (February 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Lawrence, Wendy; Black, Christina; Tinati, Tannaze; Cradock, Sue; Begum, Rufia; Jarman, Megan; Pease, Anna; Margetts, Barrie; Davies, Jenny; Inskip, Hazel; Cooper, Cyrus; Baird, Janis; Barker, Mary
• Is Part Of: Journal of health psychology. Volume 21:Number 2(2016:Feb.)
• Page Start: 138
• Page End: 151
• Publication Date: 2016-02
• Subjects: behaviour change -- evaluation -- health and social care practitioners -- Healthy Conversation Skills -- intervention -- public health -- training; Clinical health psychology -- Periodicals; 613.019
• DOI: 10.1177/1359105314523304
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1359-1053

Abstract

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.