Relationship between Health Counselor Characteristics and Counseling Impact on Individuals at High-Risk for Lifestyle-Related Disease: Sub-Analysis of the J-HARP Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Early diagnosis and treatment are necessary to prevent lifestyle-related diseases among high-risk individuals. This study aimed to examine the impact of counselor characteristics on clinic visits among individuals at high risk for lifestyle-related diseases. A total of 8975 patients aged 40 to 74 years with lifestyle-related comorbidities, who underwent an annual health checkup and received health counseling, were included in this study. Data intervention timing, mode of counseling, number of counseling sessions, and explanation methods were collected. We assessed the impact of counselor characteristics, including profession (public health nurse, clinical nurse, and nutritionist), age, and years of counseling experience, on counseling outcomes. The probability ratios (95% confidence intervals) of clinic visits were 1.22 (1.11–1.35) for public health nurses and 1.04 (0.90–1.20) for nurses compared with nutritionists. After adjustment for participant and counselor characteristics and initial timing, mode, and number of counseling sessions, the corresponding probability ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.16 (1.05–1.29) and 1.12 (0.95–1.31), respectively. Counselor age and years of experience did not influence clinic visits of the target population. Public health nurses were more effective in increasing clinic visits among the target population owing to their profession-specific knowledge, skills, and experience.

Evaluation of public health nurse‐led health counseling programs for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Amagasaki City, Japan

“…In the intervention municipalities, the health counseling aimed to accelerate clinic visits for those seeking medical treatment among untreated high‐risk individuals with severe hypertension, hyperglycemia, and high LDL cholesterol. The accumulative proportion of clinic visits was higher in the intervention group than in the usual care group (Iso, 2017; Noguchi et al, 2022).…”

“…How to cite this article: Noguchi, M. (2022). Evaluation of public health nurse-led health counseling programs for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases in Amagasaki City, Japan.…”

Prevention of cardiovascular disease, a major non-communicable disease, in a super-aging society: Health success and unsolved issues in Japan

“…For the intervention group, health counseling was provided primarily by a certified public health nurse and secondarily by a clinical nurse and a certified nutritionist based on the health belief model (24), and the detail of counseling was reported elsewhere (18,25). Briefly, a trained counselor explained how high blood pressure, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia damage the brain, heart, and kidney vasculature and, if untreated, could lead to the occurrence of serious health problems, including stroke, heart attack, and renal failure (perceived susceptibility) using a progression flowchart of lifestyle-related diseases, the so-called "Where am I ?"…”