MOTIVATIONAL INTERVIEWING TO IMPROVE ADHERENCE TO A BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT-CONTROL PROGRAM FOR OLDER OBESE WOMEN WITH NIDDM - A PILOT-STUDY

OBJECTIVE - The aim of this randomized pilot study was to examine whet her the addition of motivational interviewing strategies to a behavior al obesity intervention enhances adherence and glucose control in olde r obese women with NIDDM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS - Twenty-two old er obese women (41% black) with NIDDM were randomly assigned to 1) a s tandard 16-week group behavioral weight-control program that provided instruction in diet, exercise, and behavior modification or 2) the sam e group behavioral program with three individualized motivational inte rviewing sessions added. RESULTS - The motivational group attended sig nificantly more group meetings (13.3 vs. 8.9), completed significantly more often (46.0 vs. 32.2 days) than the standard group. Further, par ticipants in the motivational group had significantly better glucose c ontrol post-treatment (9.8 vs. 10.8%). Although both groups demonstrat ed significant weight loss, no differences were apparent between group s. CONCLUSIONS - These results suggest that augmenting a standard beha vioral treatment program for obese women with NIDDM with a motivationa l interviewing component may significantly enhance adherence to progra m recommendations and glycemic control. Preliminary data warrant furth er investigation with larger samples and a longer follow-up.