Automated CVD Lifestyle Guidance for Medical Encounters

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Dietary and physical activity patterns are poised to become leading contributors to premature death in the US. Most primary healthcare practitioners recognize the important relationship among nutrition, physical activity and health. Few incorporate either dietary or physical activity counseling into routine practice. Lack of self-efficacy for such counseling is among the commonly cited reasons. The proposed project follows the successful Phase I project, and will develop a tool called Automated Guidance tool for Medical Encounters addressing Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (AuGMEnT). AUGMENT will rely on interactive technology to automate the administration, collection, and analysis of dietary and physical activity questionnaires; and guide counseling and resources tailored to the patient's unique needs. AUGMENT combines nutrition and physical activity assessments. The patient will respond to questionnaire prompts on a handheld computer with a touch-sensitive screen in the physician's office. Software will classify those responses into behavior models, and generate assessments and recommendations tailored to the needs of the patient. Reports evaluating nutrition and fitness status and a "readiness to change" score with treatment recommendations based on an impediment profiler (a novel behavior change construct)'are generated. This project will develop assessment and counseling tools that will complement the physician's assessment and treatment plan. This project will establish the utility of an automated system to enhance the delivery of individually tailored diet and physical activity counseling in the context of standard primary care. Conducted to a successful conclusion, the proposal has tremendous potential to "augment" the delivery of lifestyle counseling directed toward weight control, and the prevention of chronic disease, addressing objectives 1-3a, 1-3b and 19-17 of Healthy People 2010. The technological and scientific advances incorporated into AUGMENT represent equally great promise for new business opportunities and progress toward vital public health goals.