title: Individual Health Management - A Comprehensive Lifestyle Counselling Programme for Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Patient Education.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiological data shows globally increasing numbers of obesity and stress-related diseases. In this article, a comprehensive medical lifestyle modification programme - called Individual Health Management (IHM) - is described in detail and discussed as a promising tool to individually manage and reverse such negative health trends in patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The IHM programme is based on a blended learning concept. It comprises a 12-week basic training phase, followed by a 9-month maintenance phase, and includes the following key features: 1) web-based and physician-led health screenings; 2) a structured 12-week basic training with a core curriculum providing tuition in behavioural self-management strategies for weight loss and stress reduction; 3) weekly supervised group sessions during the core curriculum; 4) tailoring of materials, strategies and lifestyle goals; 5) continuous self-monitoring and feedback of the achieved progress; 6) regular contact with physicians or health professionals based on either face-to-face or distant lifestyle counselling; 7) recurrent one-day health seminars to ensure the sustainability of obtained results.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IHM is a multi-component lifestyle intervention programme to increase physical activity, to reduce calorie intake and to practice both self and stress management. Individual care, group support and a tailored web-based programme blend to achieve the desired goals. A randomised control study to evaluate IHM's effects on weight control is currently being conducted.
authors.affiliation: Competence Centre for Complementary Medicine and Naturopathy (CoCoNat), Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University Munich, Munich, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Melchart
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eustachi
authors.forename: Yanqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wellenhofer-Li
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Doerfler
authors.forename: Evelin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bohnes
mesh_terms: D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D011315:Preventive Medicine / Q000379:methods*