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Happy life leads to good health

27 May 2009

Professor Colette Browning and Professor Shane Thomas with clinical coaches at Fangzhuang Community Hospital in Beijing.
Professor Colette Browning and Professor Shane Thomas with clinical coaches at Fangzhuang Community Hospital in Beijing.

Monash University, together with the Australian Psychological Society and Peking University, has established a motivational coaching program in the Fengtai District in Beijing, China, to help patients with Type 2 diabetes lead happier and healthier lives.

The Happy Life Club uses clinical coaches trained in motivational interviewing to support patients with chronic diabetes to better manage their illness.

Diabetes research shows that changes in lifestyle factors such as dietary changes, weight loss, and reducing stress frequently result in major improvements in patient health and well-being.

Motivational interviewing has been used internationally to manage people who are addicted to smoking. However there is limited published research on how effective the technique is for the management of chronic illness.

Australian project leader Professor Colette Browning from the School of Primary Health Care Research, said, if left untreated or poorly managed Type 2 diabetes, could have a major effect on the health and wellbeing of a patient.

"Many patients can manage their disease well by adopting certain key behaviours but struggle to do so without support," Professor Browning said.

"People typically go through set stages in their behaviour change process. The Happy Life Club uses these stages of change to accelerate and sustain behaviour change."

Twenty-one Beijing health coach clinicians have been recently trained in motivational interviewing and health behaviour change principles by Dr Lindner from the Australian Psychological Society. These coaches will work with the patients to change key behaviours.

Professor Shane Thomas said the program's success would be measured through patient data collected pre-program and at three, six, twelve and twenty-four month intervals.

"Patients and coaches will also be interviewed to gauge their ideas about the program and how it can be improved for future trials," Professor Thomas said.

The program is being trialled in Fangzhuang Community Hospital.