Patient Experiences of a Theory-Based Lifestyle-Focused Group Treatment in the Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases and Type 2 Diabetes

• BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are two of the most common public health diseases, and up to 80 % of the cases may be prevented by lifestyle modification. The physiological effects of lifestyle-focused treatment are relatively well studied, but how patients actually experience such treatments is still rather unclear.PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to explore how patients experience lifestyle-focused group treatment in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.METHOD: Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 patients attending lifestyle-focused group treatment based on social cognitive theory at a behavioral medicine clinic in northern Sweden. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to Malterud's systematic text condensation.RESULTS: The study shows that patients participating in this kind of group-based lifestyle treatment went through a process of self-development which deepened their understanding of own responsibility for health and improved their skills in finding support in others. The process could be tracked through three different themes (the holistic view, personal responsibility, and group treatment) which together reflected the most essential parts of the informants' experience and showed the patient as an active decision maker struggling to adopt the principles of behavioral change.CONCLUSION: Lifestyle-focused group treatment, based on social cognitive theory, was shown to stimulate different components that strengthen patients' self-efficacy for long-term behavioral change.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Arbetsmedicin och miljömedicin (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Occupational Health and Environmental Health (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

behavioral medicine

lifestyle

self-efficacy

prevention

qualitative interviews

patient experience

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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