By Wendy Lawrence, University of Southampton The main causes of death and disease in society today are influenced by our lifestyle choices, and there is a growing focus on ways to improve health behaviours. Front-line practitioners, particularly those working in health, social and community care roles, are a key resource for supporting behavioural change. Routine […]
By Amy O’Donnell, Newcastle University, UK Levels of drinking have fallen recently in some parts of Europe, particularly amongst young people. However, excessive alcohol consumption remains a major risk factor for poor health and early death. Providing simple brief advice to those identified as heavy drinkers can help reduce the amount of alcohol people consume, […]
By Anne Tiedemann, The University of Sydney, Australia “Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it”… Plato, 400 BC. It’s long been known that making physical activity a regular habit is important for health and wellbeing. But health promotion messages often […]
By Keegan Knittle, University of Helsinki, Finland Here’s a familiar story from primary care: an individual who would clearly benefit from more physical activity comes into the clinic. We discuss their physical (in)activity, and in the end, the person says they just aren’t motivated to change. What’s a clinician supposed to do? How can we […]
By Tracy Epton, University of Manchester, United Kingdom Goal setting is a popular technique There are many different techniques that can be used to change behaviour (93 according to a recent list!). Goal setting is a well-known technique that most people have used at some point. Goal setting is used by charities (e.g., Alcohol Concern, […]
