title: Motivation for lifestyle changes to improve health in people with impaired glucose tolerance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify factors that could have motivational significance for lifestyle change to facilitate the reduction of Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) and, consequently, the risk of having type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen people living in a municipality in central Norway participated in the study. A large-scale public health screening study had defined them as people with IGT. The participants took part in a semi-structured interview that focused on four aspects of everyday lifestyle: (1) structure and rhythm, (2) physical health, (3) physical activity and (4) social relations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The interviews showed that the participants in the study changed their priorities regarding daily living. Results indicated four domains of motivational factors that appeared as significant for lifestyle changes. The participants attributed great significance to their physical health and were strongly motivated to prevent disease development by improvement of everyday structure and rhythm, reduction of sickness risk, activity level and social relation. Research indicates, however, that lasting lifestyle changes take time and that health care support must be adapted to the individual in light of their social setting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Persons with IGT appear to benefit from lifestyle changes along four dimensions of motivational significance: Structure and rhythm, Sickness concerns, Activity levels, Social relations. This means that attention needs to be more carefully tailored the individual along these four dimensions than has been the case in traditional health care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. elisabeth.hansen@hint.no
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Bodil J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Landstad
authors.forename: Ove
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hellzén
authors.forename: Sven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Svebak
mesh_terms: D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009042:Motivation