• Blythe J O'Hara, Philayrath Phongsavan, Kamalesh Venugopal, Elizabeth G Eakin, Dianne Eggins, Hugh Caterson, Lesley King, Margaret Allman-Farinelli, Marion Haas, and Adrian E Bauman.
• Prevention Research Collaboration, Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Medical Foundation Building K25, The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia. Electronic address: blythe.ohara@sydney.edu.au.
• Prev Med. 2012 Oct 1; 55 (4): 292-298.

ObjectiveWith increasing rates of non-communicable disease, there is a need for implementing population-wide, evidence-based interventions for improving behavioural risk factors. Telephone-based interventions provide one option. This study reports on the evaluation of the Australia's Get Healthy Information and Coaching Service®, to improve lifestyle behaviours, amongst a population-wide sample who completed the 6-month coaching programme.MethodsUsing a pre-post design, New South Wales participants who completed telephone-based coaching between February 2009 and December 2011 were included. Outcomes comprised self-reported weight, waist circumference, height, physical activity and dietary behaviours. Matched pair analyses and multivariate modelling were performed to assess behavioural changes.ResultsParticipants (n=1440) reported statistically significant improvements in weight (-3.9 kg (5.1)); waist circumference (-5.0 cm (6.0)); and Body Mass Index (-1.4 BMI units (1.8)); number of walking and moderate-vigorous physical activity sessions of ≥30 min per week; number of vigorous physical activity sessions of ≥20 min per week and servings of vegetables; fruit; take-away meals and sweetened drinks (all p<0.001). Improvements in weight, waist, moderate physical activity, fruit and vegetable and take-away meals consumption remained significant after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics.ConclusionsThese results support the effectiveness of replicating an evidence-based intervention in improving population risk factors for chronic disease.Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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