‘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

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 one 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.

Workplace delivery of a dietitian‐led cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes prevention programme: A qualitative study of participants’ experiences in the context of Basic Needs Theory

“…Such targeting could involve training line managers in basic communication methods to encourage people to engage with health services (Lawrence et al . ). Recruitment could also be enhanced by targeting the Line Mangers' sense of responsibility using specific marketing tools that highlight the importance of helping their staff maintain good health, for example by encouraging them to attend a workplace LIP ( e.g .…”

Developmental Origins of Health and Disease: A Lifecourse Approach to the Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases

“…As a result of the training, staff changed the way they interacted with women, using open discovery questions, listening more than talking and empowering women to set goals. These changes were still apparent one year after training [56]. Evaluation showed that women who came into contact with trained staff had significantly smaller declines in their sense of control and self-efficacy than women in the control group, although an effect on diet was not observed [57].…”

Translating Developmental Origins: Improving the Health of Women and Their Children Using a Sustainable Approach to Behaviour Change

“…After training, staff demonstrated sustained changes to the way they worked with women attending SSCCs, and were more confident in supporting lifestyle changes [29]. Changes to the way staff worked were still evident a year post-training [30]. A non-randomised controlled trial of the effect of exposure to trained staff on diet and physical activity levels in women attending SSCCs showed that the intervention had no measurable effect on women’s diet and physical activity levels, but that it may have protected against a decline in their self-efficacy and perceptions of control over life, factors known to be associated with change in both these health behaviours [31].…”