[Motivational interviewing of unemployed acceptance and effects of counselling to improve health-related behaviour].
OBJECTIVE
Conception, implementation and evaluation of a risk-reducing and health-promoting brief intervention addressed to unemployed.


METHODS
Control-group-study with repeated measurement. 131 unemployed took part in the intervention group and 95 persons were matched according to age and sex and served as a reference group. The intervention group were recruited via flyers, press articles and several institutions, the reference group via the journal of a health insurance company. The reference group received a questionnaire twice assessing the same health-related variables as the intervention group.


METHODS
In the intervention group, life style-related variables - eating habits, exercising, smoking, alcohol consumption - were assessed via questionnaire. In a one-hour counselling session based on Motivational Interviewing, participants received an individual feedback on their results of the questionnaire, including a comparison against standards and a review of their personal risks and negative consequences as well as advice and recommendations, while the decision for or against a behaviour change was left to the participant.


RESULTS
85.2 % of the participants of the intervention reported that the counselling met their expectations, and 86.2 % would recommend the intervention to a friend. Statistically significant effects for the intervention group compared to the control group from pre- to post-measurement could be shown for alcohol consumption, eating habits, and exercise (p <or= 0.0125 with a Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons). Differences were also shown for the subjective state of health; however, they failed to attain statistical significance.


CONCLUSIONS
The results of the study indicate that this kind of intervention might have positive effects regarding the promotion of health and a healthy life-style and that it might sensitize participants regarding their subjective state of health. The results of the pilot study will have to be substantiated by further studies.
Hanewinkel
R
R
Institut für Therapie- und Gesundheitsforschung, IFT-Nord. hanewinkel@ift-nord.de
Wewel
M
M
Stephan
C
C
Isensee
B
B
Wiborg
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology; D003376:Counseling; D037001:Directive Counseling / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*