Health goals among primary care patients.
OBJECTIVE
To identify individuals' health goals and describe their preferences in attaining those goals and to explore associations of type of goals with individual characteristics.


METHODS
In a descriptive study, 60 adult patients from primary care clinics completed written questionnaires anonymously. Content analyses and frequencies were used to summarize data.


CONCLUSIONS
Health promotion interventions could be more effective if they were customized, in part, to individuals' health goals. There are few evidence-based descriptions of individuals' own health goals and their preferences in how to pursue them. Participants in this study shared common goals to get in shape, lose weight, and change consumption. Participants preferred to meet initially with practitioners to obtain advice and to connect subsequently by telephone for monitoring.


CONCLUSIONS
Participants did want to improve their health. More specific understanding of such goals and preferences is needed to guide future interventions. Findings can inform clinicians and guide researchers in how to design health behavior interventions.
Lauver
Diane Ruth
DR
University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Nursing, Madison, Wisconsin 53792-2455, USA. drlauver@wisc.edu
Worawong
Chiraporn
C
Olsen
Christine
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006040:Goals; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires