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Multiple Health Behavior Changes and Co-variation in a Telephone Counseling Trial

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

Delivering effective multiple health behavior interventions to large numbers of adults with chronic conditions via primary care settings is a public health priority.

Purpose

Within a 12-month, telephone-delivered diet and physical activity intervention with multiple behavioral outcomes, we examined the extent and co-variation of multiple health behavior change.

Methods

A cluster-randomized trial with 434 patients with type 2 diabetes or hypertension were recruited from 10 general practices, which were randomized to receive telephone counseling or usual care.

Results

Those receiving telephone counseling were significantly more likely than those in usual care to make greater reductions in multiple behaviors after adjusting for baseline risk behaviors (OR 2.42; 95%CI 1.43, 4.11). Controlling for baseline risk and group allocation, making changes to either physical activity, fat, vegetable, or fiber intake was associated with making significantly more improvements in other behaviors.

Conclusions

For patients with chronic conditions, telephone counseling can significantly improve multiple health behaviors, with behavioral changes tending to co-vary.

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Acknowledgments

Dr. Sheleigh Lawler had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. This study was funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant no. 290519, a Queensland Health Core Research Infrastructure Grant and NHMRC Program Grant funding (no.301200). M.M. Reeves is funded by a NHMRC Fellowship (no. 389500). E. Eakin is funded by a NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (no. 511001). The funding body had no role in the design and conduct of the study, data extraction or analyses, in the writing of the manuscript, or the review and approval of the manuscript for publication. We thank the participating Logan Area general practices and their patients, as well as staff of the General Practice Logan Area Network, for their support of the study and acknowledge the dedicated work of our telephone counselors, Lisa Ulyate and Fiona Porter, and our primary telephone interviewer, Natalie Doyle, as well as the entire project team.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Prevention Research Centre, School of Population Health, The University of Queensland, Level 3, Public Health Building, Herston Road, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia

    Sheleigh P. Lawler PhD, Elizabeth Winkler PhD, Marina M. Reeves PhD, Neville Owen PhD & Elizabeth G. Eakin PhD

  2. Institute for Health & Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Nicholas Graves PhD

Authors
  1. Sheleigh P. Lawler PhD
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  2. Elizabeth Winkler PhD
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  3. Marina M. Reeves PhD
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  4. Neville Owen PhD
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  5. Nicholas Graves PhD
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  6. Elizabeth G. Eakin PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elizabeth G. Eakin PhD.

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Lawler, S.P., Winkler, E., Reeves, M.M. et al. Multiple Health Behavior Changes and Co-variation in a Telephone Counseling Trial. ann. behav. med. 39, 250–257 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9188-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-010-9188-2

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