Professional advice and readiness to change behavioral risk factors among members of a managed care organization

Objective: To ascertain factors related to readiness to change behavioral r isk factors in members of a managed care organization (MCO). Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients and Methods: A telephone survey reached 4667 (73%) of 6409 adult m embers of a Minnesota MCO attending 2 primary care clinics. Of these, 3826 members (82%) completed an interview designed to identify behavioral risk f actors (smoking, consuming a high-fat diet, and physical inactivity) and re adiness to change these behaviors. Results: Among MCO members consuming a high-fat diet, those most ready to c hange were older, were women, used more preventive services, and reported r eceiving professional advice about diet. For physical inactivity, those mos t ready to change were younger, women, and more educated; used more prevent ive services; and reported receiving professional advice about physical act ivity. Among smokers, those With higher readiness to change smoked fewer th an 15 cigarettes a day, had higher self-efficacy, had no other smokers in t he household, and reported receiving professional advice about smoking. Aft er controlling for demographic variables and for use of preventive services , greater readiness to change for smoking (beta = 0.336, odds ratio [OR] = 1.40, P = .056), physical activity (beta = 0.651, OR = 1.92, P < .001), and diet (<beta> = 0.532, OR = 1.70, P < .001)was associated with having recei ved professional advice to change these behaviors. Conclusions: Levels of readiness to change behaviors in MCO members who smo ke, are inactive, or consume high-fat diets are similar to those reported i n other populations. The association of professional advice to change behav iors with increased readiness to change for smoking, physical activity, and diet suggests that receiving professional advice on these topics might ass ist patients in changing adverse health-related behaviors.