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TOP 5 TAKEAWAY MESSAGES:
Obesity and Interviewing Techniques
1. Stages of change that may be evaluated include pre-
contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance,
and relapse.
2. Motivational interviewing is a collaborative, patient-centered
goal-directed counseling approach intended to guide people
toward positive behavior change which, in the context of obesity
medicine, promotes a healthier body weight and a healthier
body composition among patients with pre-obesity/obesity.
3. General motivational interviewing principles include empathy,
avoiding arguments, developing discrepancy, resolving
ambivalence, and supporting self-efficacy.
• Empathy involves listening, communication, understanding,
collaboration, support and encouragement.
• Avoiding arguments involves recognizing types of resistance
(arguing, denying, ignoring, interrupting) and then "rolling with
resistance" through reflection, shifting focus, ref raming, and/or
siding with the negative.
• Developing discrepancy explores the mismatch between where
the patient is today, and where the patient says he/she wants to
be in the future.
• Resolving ambivalence is amplifying discrepancy and addressing
the uncertainty for the desire for change.
• Supporting self-efficacy is aff irming favorable results though
focusing on patient successes and highlighting patient skills and
strengths.
4. FRAMES is a common motivational interviewing acronym that
stands for Feedback, Responsibility of the patient, Advice to
change, Menu of strategies, Empathy, and Self-Efficacy; OARS
is a common motivational interviewing acronym that stands for
Open-ended questions, Affirmation, Reflections, and Summaries.
5. The 5A's model of behavior change include Ask, Assess, Advise,
Agree, and Arrange/Assist.
