Effectiveness of Australia's Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®: translational research with population wide impact.

OBJECTIVE: With increasing rates of non-communicable disease, there is a need for implementing population-wide, evidence-based interventions for improving behavioural risk factors. Telephone-based interventions provide one option. This study reports on the evaluation of the Australia's Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®, to improve lifestyle behaviours, amongst a population-wide sample who completed the 6-month coaching programme.

METHODS: Using a pre-post design, New South Wales participants who completed telephone-based coaching between February 2009 and December 2011 were included. Outcomes comprised self-reported weight, waist circumference, height, physical activity and dietary behaviours. Matched pair analyses and multivariate modelling were performed to assess behavioural changes.

RESULTS: Participants (n=1440) reported statistically significant improvements in weight (-3.9 kg (5.1)); waist circumference (-5.0 cm (6.0)); and Body Mass Index (-1.4 BMI units (1.8)); number of walking and moderate-vigorous physical activity sessions of ≥30 min per week; number of vigorous physical activity sessions of ≥20 min per week and servings of vegetables; fruit; take-away meals and sweetened drinks (all p<0.001). Improvements in weight, waist, moderate physical activity, fruit and vegetable and take-away meals consumption remained significant after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics.

CONCLUSIONS: These results support the effectiveness of replicating an evidence-based intervention in improving population risk factors for chronic disease.