“You Can’t Do It on Your Own”: Experiences of a motivational interviewing intervention on physical activity and dietary behaviour

While obesity is on the increase, interventions that seek to change physical activity or dietary behaviour tend to have limited success in the long-term. Consistently effective approaches for facilitating lifestyle change within primary health care settings are yet to be determined. Despite an increase in counselling interventions, little is known about how such interventions are received. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of obese patients, following participation in a counselling intervention, in order to identify the influences on behaviour change in relation to physical activity and diet. A qualitative semi-structured interview study using inductive thematic content analysis. Fourteen overweight or obese patients participated in semi-structured interviews that focused on experiences of consultations; current physical activity and eating behaviour; facilitators and barriers to change. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed four themes that appeared to account for current lifestyle behaviour: (1) Monitoring and support; (2) Listening support; (3) Motivation and self-regulation; and (4) Barriers. Extended contact and support were deemed necessary for these patients. Interventions within primary care that are high intensity, with extended contact, and adopt an autonomy-supportive counselling style need development and evaluation. Such interventions should also focus on building self-regulation skills and strategies to overcome potential barriers to weight loss efforts.