Implementing a psychological intervention to improve lifestyle self-management in patients with Type 2 diabetes

Lifestyle and behavioural factors play an important role in the development of Type 2 diabetes and management of this illness involves a combination o f medication and lifestyle change. However, diabetes lifestyle programs hav e been found unsuccessful unless they are intensive and continued over long periods of time. The present study, which is one of the few randomised con trolled trials of lifestyle interventions to be conducted outside of the US . aims to evaluate a brief psychological intervention that can be integrate d into routine usual care to assist people to make the recommended lifestyl e changes. Subjects are allocated to either an intervention or usual care c ontrol group. The intervention includes assessment and a personalised progr amme in which realistic manageable goals for lifestyle change and overcomin g barriers are negotiated using brief motivational interviewing. Maintenanc e issues are addressed by follow-up telephone contact. Implementation of th is study is described and baseline data presented on initial participants, and implications for practice are discussed. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Irel and Ltd. All rights reserved.