Does a patient-held health record give rise to lifestyle changes? A study in clinical practice.
BACKGROUND
Patient-held records have been sparsely studied as instruments for behavioral change.


OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to examine to what extent patients report lifestyle changes as a result of using a patient-held health record.


METHODS
This was a descriptive cross-sectional study based on questionnaires distributed in six primary health care centres in Sweden, and comprised 418 patients aged 20-64 years. The main outcome measure was patients' self-reported valuation of having made changes in their health situation as a result of reading the booklet regarding their health.


RESULTS
Twenty-five percent of the patients reported a change in health situation as a result of reading the booklet. Exercise, diet and habits related to stress were the most common habits to be specified. Age, educational level, health status and smoking habits did not influence the proportion of patients who reported lifestyle changes.


CONCLUSIONS
The study suggests that patient-held health records might be a useful tool for promoting lifestyle changes in primary health care.
Center for Clinical Research Dalarna, Nissers väg 3, S-791 81 Falun, Umeå University, S-901 85 Umeå, Sweden. lars.jerden@ltdalarna.se
Lars
L
Jerdén
Lars
L
Weinehall
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D003151:Community Health Centers; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008499:Medical Records; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D017678:Sex Distribution; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden