Beginning the Brief Clinical/Minimal Contact Intervention

How to Start Talking to Clients about Healthy Lifestyles:

Clients may prompt you to open the subject:

• Client asking about over the counter products for weight loss, nutrition supplements, quitting smoking, remedies for fatigue, etc.
• Client may indicate they are on medication related to lifestyle disease e.g. for heart disease, vascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis
• Client may be showing interest in display of lifestyle materials e.g. handouts, posters.

To initiate a BCI/MCI by ASKing:

It may be natural for the Health Professional to say something like:

• “Do you have concerns about your blood pressure, your weight, your diet, etc?”
• “Have you used any tobacco products in the last 6 months?"
• “Have you or your family expressed concern about your drinking?”

To initiate a Brief Clinical Intervention by ADVISEing:

Try statements such as:

• “This medication is designed to [do whatever] for your [client’s diagnosis]”
• “Are you aware of how physical activity , healthy eating, quitting smoking and following the Low Risk Drinking Guidelines (LRDG) can be part of your treatment?”
• “Are you aware that eating well, being physically active, or quitting smoking and feeling good go together?”
• The most important advice I can give you is to stop smoking

What Clients Should Understand:

• Prescriptions and over the counter (OTC) products can support but cannot replace a healthy lifestyle.
• A healthy lifestyle promotes or maintains health.
• A healthy lifestyle reduces the risks for several chronic diseases.
• A healthy lifestyle is an important element of treatment for disease states.
• Clients should be encouraged to have a goal to build up enough physical activity to benefit their health.
• Clients should be encouraged to have a goal to eat the foods they need in amounts appropriate for them.
• Clients should be encouraged to have a goal to quit or think about quitting smoking when the timing is right for them.
• Clients should be encouraged to drink within the LRDGs if they choose to consume alcohol.