1. Effectiveness of Australia's Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®: Translational research with population wide impact
- Author
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O'Hara, Blythe J., Phongsavan, Philayrath, Venugopal, Kamalesh, Eakin, Elizabeth G., Eggins, Dianne, Caterson, Hugh, King, Lesley, Allman-Farinelli, Margaret, Haas, Marion, and Bauman, Adrian E.
- Subjects
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HEALTH promotion , *EXERCISE , *WEIGHT loss , *HEALTH risk communication , *HEALTH behavior - Abstract
Abstract: Objective: With increasing rates of non-communicable disease, there is a need for implementing population-wide, evidence-based interventions for improving behavioural risk factors. Telephone-based interventions provide one option. This study reports on the evaluation of the Australia''s Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®, to improve lifestyle behaviours, amongst a population-wide sample who completed the 6-month coaching programme. Methods: Using a pre-post design, New South Wales participants who completed telephone-based coaching between February 2009 and December 2011 were included. Outcomes comprised self-reported weight, waist circumference, height, physical activity and dietary behaviours. Matched pair analyses and multivariate modelling were performed to assess behavioural changes. Results: Participants (n=1440) reported statistically significant improvements in weight (−3.9kg (5.1)); waist circumference (−5.0cm (6.0)); and Body Mass Index (−1.4 BMI units (1.8)); number of walking and moderate–vigorous physical activity sessions of ≥30min per week; number of vigorous physical activity sessions of ≥20min per week and servings of vegetables; fruit; take-away meals and sweetened drinks (all p<0.001). Improvements in weight, waist, moderate physical activity, fruit and vegetable and take-away meals consumption remained significant after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics. Conclusions: These results support the effectiveness of replicating an evidence-based intervention in improving population risk factors for chronic disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]
- Published
- 2012
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