Changing Eating and Exercise Behaviour

Health and fitness professionals are frequently frustrated at their inability to help clients achieve long-standing health behaviour changes and are seeking new, scientifically sound, alternative approaches which are more effective. This handbook has been written as a guide for health and fitness professionals helping clients through the process of lifestyle change with a special emphasis on: eating a more healthy diet, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight and becoming more physically active. Providing cautionary advice hardly ever works: it must be combined with effective strategies to change clients' behaviour. Health promotion, primary care, multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working are high on the political agenda. This book encompasses all these issues. Healthcare professionals are realising that their role as 'change agents', as opposed to information providers, requires special skills. Although a wide range of scientific information is available, there is very litle to assist professionals to apply it affectively to get results. No other similar publication exists in the UK marketplace or, probably, the USA. Preface.

PART ONE: THEORY.

Chapter 1. A Role for Professionals.

Chapter 2. The Case for Change.

Chapter 3. Achieving Change.

Chapter 4. A Model for Change.

PART TWO: A FRAMEWORK.

Chapter 5. Practitioner Qualities.

Chapter 6. Structuring Sessions.

Chapter 7. Getting Started.

PART THREE: PRACTICE.

Chapter 8. Helping the Precontemplator.

Chapter 9. Helping the Contemplator.

Chapter 10. Preparing for Action.

Chapter 11. Taking Action.

Chapter 12. Maintaining Change.

Chapter 13. When Maintenance Fails.

Chapter 14. Weight Management.

References.

Glossary.

Appendices.

Index.

Paula Hunt is a nutritionist and state registered dietitian with wide experience in health promotion in primary care and the community. She is currently and independent consultant in nutrition and communication.

Melvyn Hillsdon is a rational emotive behaviour therapist who is currently working as a research assistant within the Health Promotion Sciences Unit at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Helping clients to adopt and maintain a healthy lifestyle involves not only the ability to give accurate and up to date advice but also the skills to motivate clients to act upon such advice. Information alone is often ineffective and approaches that consider the individual’s motivation and readiness to change are necessary if interventions are to be successful.

Changing Eating and Exercise Behaviour offers health and fitness professionals clear and comprehensive advice on how to help clients achieve results. It details the core qualities and skills needed by the professional, provides guidance on interviewing styles, assesses the methods of change which can be employed and proposes a model for effective intervention.

Based on a combination of scientific evidence and practical clinical experience, this informative book will prove invaluable to those seeking to maximise their efforts and bring about long-term changes in their clients’ dietary and exercise behaviour.