My Health Coach Study

The aim of the study is to determine whether medical assistants (MAs) can assist primary care providers to achieve healthier lifestyles via better sleep, food choices, weight loss and/or increased physical activity in their patients. The hypothesis driving this research is that health coaching can be done by existing medical support staff to facilitate healthy lifestyles in a primary care setting. Coaching can maximize the health of the patient population in a cost-effective way if the coaching service is integrated into primary care clinics with minimal capital investment at the outset. A major focus will be on behaviors associated with weight management since this is the most common health issue in the U.S. today. This method, if successful, should be easily adaptable to other health behaviors and in most any medical practice that seeks to improve the health of its patient base in a cost-effective way.

In order to achieve a change in health behaviors, and especially weight loss, regular follow-up contacts are needed. Previous research has shown health coaching to be effective, but this has utilized programs that "add on" to the existing clinic structure. This type of coaching model is difficult to sustain. Utilizing existing staff for health coaching is a method we propose to more fully integrate this service into primary care clinics.