EFFECT OF PHONE-BASED COUNSELING ON STAGE OF CHANGE MOVEMENT FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND EXERCISE

Abstract

1752 A 1995 population-based observational cohort survey of HMO members(N=8,000), indicated that the proportion of individuals moving from contemplation and/or preparation (C/P) to the action and/or maintenance (A/M) readiness to change (RTC) stages was similar as compared to the relapse observed for individuals moving from A/M to C/P (33.7% C/P into A/M vs a relapse of 32.8% A/M into C/P (net progress=0.9%). The purpose of this study was to characterize the movement across physical activity and exercise RTC stages for individuals receiving phone-based behavioral counseling (PBC) for these behaviors. We hypothesized that a larger proportion of individuals would move into A/M as compared to the proportion who relapsed from A/M into C/P. A random sample of PBC files were selected (N=100) from all PBC encounters over the last two years if the individual had received ≥ 3 PBC sessions. RTC stage was documented for physical activity and exercise at both PBC entry and at the time of the last documented PBC session. Demographics of the subject sample include (mean±SD): 85% female, age=44±12 yrs, weight=100.5±26.4 kg, BMI=36.1±8.1 kg/m2, and 8.3±5.6 PBC sessions received over a period of 169.7±134.3 days. At entry into PBC, 53% and 24% of the subjects were in A/M for physical activity and exercise, respectively. At the end of the documented time period, 38% and 41% of subjects had moved from C/P into A/M, respectively. The proportion of subjects who relapsed from A/M back to C/P was 0% and 5% for physical activity and exercise, respectively (mean net progress=37%). These data suggest that: 1) phone-based PBC for physical activity and exercise is an effective method to move people from physical inactivity into those stages associated with a physically active lifestyle, and 2) PBC may prevent relapse into RTC stages associated with physical inactivity. Replase prevention appears to be the component that accounts for most of the net progress observed in increasing the proportion of subjects who are in the A/M RTC stage.