Effectiveness of counselling over 1 year on changes in lifestyle and coronary heart disease risk factors

Abstract

Many have studied the effects of different lifestyles on disease, mortality or risk factors for a disease, but little is known about how behaviour is changed in the population. We studied the need for counselling and its effect on willingness and ability to change lifestyle, and subsequent changes in CHD risk factors. All 152 male employees in a computer company, 25-45 years of age, were invited to participate. Subjects were randomized into an intervention group (I-group) and a control group. The I-group was divided into subgroups based on baseline behaviour and risk factor status. Changes were evaluated after 1 year. After an initial health examination, participants from the I-group were counselled at baseline and after 5 months. Eighty-five (56%) males participated. Twenty-nine were assigned to a control group and 56 to an intervention group (I-group) (dropout = 8). An exercise group (E-group) was advised to exercise aerobically three times/week, a diet group to reduce the intake of saturated fat and increase fish products, and smokers to quit smoking. Forty subjects were recommended one or more behavioural changes and eight had no need. Thirty-four were willing to make behavioural changes. Compared to the control group, the fitness level increased (P < 0.01) and body weight decreased in the I-group (P < 0.05). It may be concluded that individual counselling promotes regular exercise with subsequent improvements in CHD risk factors. The diet- and smoking counselling models were less successful in terms of adherence.