title: Patient experiences of a theory-based lifestyle-focused group treatment in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes are two of the most common public health diseases, and up to 80 % of the cases may be prevented by lifestyle modification. The physiological effects of lifestyle-focused treatment are relatively well studied, but how patients actually experience such treatments is still rather unclear.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to explore how patients experience lifestyle-focused group treatment in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 patients attending lifestyle-focused group treatment based on social cognitive theory at a behavioral medicine clinic in northern Sweden. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed according to Malterud's systematic text condensation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study shows that patients participating in this kind of group-based lifestyle treatment went through a process of self-development which deepened their understanding of own responsibility for health and improved their skills in finding support in others. The process could be tracked through three different themes (the holistic view, personal responsibility, and group treatment) which together reflected the most essential parts of the informants' experience and showed the patient as an active decision maker struggling to adopt the principles of behavioral change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lifestyle-focused group treatment, based on social cognitive theory, was shown to stimulate different components that strengthen patients' self-efficacy for long-term behavioral change.
authors: Department of Food and Nutrition, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
authors: Sofia
authors: S
authors: Ljung
authors: Cecilia
authors: C
authors: Olsson
authors: Merith
authors: M
authors: Rask
authors: Bernt
authors: B
authors: Lindahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003657:Decision Making; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients / Q000523:psychology*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013548:Sweden