title: Modelling innovative interventions for optimising healthy lifestyle promotion in primary health care: "prescribe Vida Saludable" phase I research protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The adoption of a healthy lifestyle, including physical activity, a balanced diet, a moderate alcohol consumption and abstinence from smoking, are associated with large decreases in the incidence and mortality rates for the most common chronic diseases. That is why primary health care (PHC) services are trying, so far with less success than desirable, to promote healthy lifestyles among patients. The objective of this study is to design and model, under a participative collaboration framework between clinicians and researchers, interventions that are feasible and sustainable for the promotion of healthy lifestyles in PHC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Phase I formative research and a quasi-experimental evaluation of the modelling and planning process will be undertaken in eight primary care centres (PCCs) of the Basque Health Service--OSAKIDETZA, of which four centres will be assigned for convenience to the Intervention Group (the others being Controls). Twelve structured study, discussion and consensus sessions supported by reviews of the literature and relevant documents, will be undertaken throughout 12 months. The first four sessions, including a descriptive strategic needs assessment, will lead to the prioritisation of a health promotion aim in each centre. In the remaining eight sessions, collaborative design of intervention strategies, on the basis of a planning process and pilot trials, will be carried out. The impact of the formative process on the practice of healthy lifestyle promotion, attitude towards health promotion and other factors associated with the optimisation of preventive clinical practice will be assessed, through pre- and post-programme evaluations and comparisons of the indicators measured in professionals from the centres assigned to the Intervention or Control Groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are four necessary factors for the outcome to be successful and result in important changes: (1) the commitment of professional and community partners who are involved; (2) their competence for change; (3) the active cooperation and participation of the interdisciplinary partners involved throughout the process of change; and (4) the availability of resources necessary to facilitate the change.
authors.affiliation: Primary Care Research Unit of Bizkaia, Basque Health Service (Osakidetza), Bilbao, Spain. alvaro.sanchez@osakidetza.net.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sanchez
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Grandes
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cortada
authors.forename: Haizea
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Pombo
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Balague
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Calderon
mesh_terms: D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006285:Health Planning / Q000379:methods; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D018579:Patient Selection; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D012107:Research Design; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D013030:Spain