Search

Introduction: A reliable measure capable of detecting progression towards smoking cessation would be valuable for evaluating and optimizing the effectiveness of low- to moderate-intensity cessation interventions, such as brief advice in the primary care setting. This article presents the development and evaluation of a brief self-report measure of Incremental Behavior Change toward Smoking cessation (IBC-S)., Methods: Sequential samples of 411 and 399 adult smokers completed items representing a spectrum of behavioral and cognitive changes antecedent to smoking cessation. The dimensionality, fit, range of difficulty, and reliability of items were evaluated using factor analysis and Rasch modeling., Results: The final 15-item IBC-S measure met fit criteria and demonstrated acceptable reliability. Participants with a significant change in IBC-S score were over four times more likely to report cessation at 6-week follow-up (OR 4.37, 95% CI 1.83-10.42)., Conclusion: The IBC-S is brief, reliable and associated with self-report of smoking reduction and cessation., Implications: This article presents the psychometric evaluation of a measure to assess a spectrum of behaviors and cognitions antecedent to smoking cessation. The findings indicate that the items show good measurement properties and good potential as a sensitive measure to evaluate interventions. This measure provides an alternative outcome for interventions that are designed to move individuals towards cessation attempts., (© The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Teachable moments (TM) are opportunities created through physician-patient interaction and used to encourage patients to change unhealthy behaviors. We examine the effectiveness of TMs to increase patients' recall of advice, motivation to modify behavior, and behavior change., Methods: A mixed-method observational study of 811 patient visits to 28 primary care clinicians used audio-recordings of visits to identify TMs and other types of advice in health behavior change talk. Patient surveys assessed smoking, exercise, fruit/vegetable consumption, height, weight, and readiness for change prior to the observed visit and 6-weeks post-visit., Results: Compared to other identified categories of advice (i.e. missed opportunities or teachable moment attempts), recall was greatest after TMs occurred (83% vs. 49-74%). TMs had the greatest proportion of patients change in importance and confidence and increase readiness to change; however differences were small. TMs had greater positive behavior change scores than other categories of advice; however, this pattern was statistically non-significant and was not observed for BMI change., Conclusion: TMs have a greater positive influence on several intermediate markers of patient behavior change compared to other categories of advice., Practice Implications: TMs show promise as an approach for clinicians to discuss behavior change with patients efficiently and effectively., (Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.)

Objective: "Teachable moments" have been proposed as events or circumstances which can lead individuals to positive behavior change. However, the essential elements of teachable moments have not been elucidated. Therefore, we undertook a comprehensive review of the literature to uncover common definitions and key elements of this phenomenon., Methods: Using databases spanning social science and medical disciplines, all records containing the search term "teachable moment*" were collected. Identified literature was then systematically reviewed and patterns were derived., Results: Across disciplines, 'teachable moment' has been poorly developed both conceptually and operationally. Usage of the term falls into three categories: (1) "teachable moment" is synonymous with "opportunity" (81%); (2) a context that leads to a higher than expected behavior change is retrospectively labeled a 'teachable moment' (17%); (3) a phenomenon that involves a cueing event that prompts specific cognitive and emotional responses (2%)., Conclusion: The findings suggest that the teachable moment is not necessarily unpredictable or simply a convergence of situational factors that prompt behavior change but suggest the possible creation of a teachable moment through clinician-patient interaction., Practice Implications: Clinician-patient interaction may be central to the creation of teachable moments for health behavior change.

Objective: Situations with potential to motivate positive change in unhealthy behavior have been called ‘teachable moments’. Little is known about how they occur in the primary care setting. Methods: Cross-sectional observational design. Audio-recordings collected during 811 physician–patient interactions for 28 physicians and their adult patients were analyzed using conversation analysis. Results: Teachable moments were observed in 9.8% of the cases, and share three features: (1) the presence of a concern that is salient to the patient that is either obviously relevant to an unhealthy behavior, or through conversation comes to be seen as relevant; (2) a link that is made between the patient''s salient concern and a health behavior that attempts to motivate the patient toward change; and (3) a patient response indicating a willingness to discuss and commit to behavior change. Additionally, we describe phenomena related to, but not teachable moments, including teachable moment attempts, missed opportunities, and health behavior advice. Conclusions: Success of the teachable moment rests on the physician''s ability to identify and explore the salience of patient concerns and recognize opportunities to link them with unhealthy behaviors. Practice implications: The skills necessary for accomplishing teachable moments are well within the grasp of primary care physicians. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]