Perhaps you have a family member or friend who wants to quit smoking, lose weight, or eat better. How can you help them? 

Providers and loved ones alike often struggle with the best strategies to identify and support health-promoting lifestyle changes by patients contemplating a commitment to actions such as quitting smoking, improving nutrition, reducing stress, or increasing physical activity. 

In an article for UW Health, Lisa Grant, DO (pictured above and at right), clinical associate professor, General Internal Medicine, shared some approaches that she uses in her own practice. 

"We know it doesn’t work to use fear, shame and shoulds; we need to change the conversation from ‘what’s the matter with you?’ to ‘what really matters to you’?," said Dr. Grant. 

She asks patients to identity a desired change, and then quantify on a scale of 1 to 10 how important the change is to them (if it falls below 7, they may not be ready to implement change immediately) and how confident they are of succeeding. 

Resources:

• "Supporting what's possible: Tips for Mmaking lifestyle changes," UW Health, June 12, 2018
• "Wellness at the heart of primary care: Insurance-reimbursed group medical visits," Department of Medicine, March 22, 2018