Abstract Body

Background and purpose: Counselling to promote healthier lifestyle habits for patients at high cardiovascular risk has been lifted during recent years, however, less is known on the participants experiences of lifestyle counselling in primary care. To enhance the care of patients at high cardiovascular risk and address their risk for future cardiovascular disease (CVD), we started a one-year, structured lifestyle program at a Swedish primary care unit. The purpose of the present study was to explore and describe core elements of lifestyle counselling as experienced by the participants in a one-year lifestyle counselling program.

Methods: A qualitative content analysis, with an inductive approach, was performed to describe participants experience of lifestyle counselling. Sixteen patients (eight men and eight women, aged 51-75 years) that participated in the program and three community health nurses (CHN) that provided the counselling, were interviewed.

Results: The results revealed five dimensions of lifestyle counselling contributing to describe the participants experiences of lifestyle counselling. These core elements were; collaboration, understanding of illness, goal setting, long-term support and a structure within the primary care unit that supports lifestyle counselling. The theme “Lifestyle counselling – a long-term commitment based on partnership” emphasised that lifestyle counselling encompassed a partnership based on an equal and mutual collaboration between patients and CHNs.

Conclusions: The informants declared that counselling had to be based on partnership based on mutual respect, recognising the patient as expert on his/ her current life situation and that both parties had to engage in the process of lifestyle change.