Healthy Life Centers - Municipal Health Care Service for Lifestyle Changes - a Multicenter Intervention Study

Healthy Life Centers - Municipal Health Care Service for Lifestyle Changes - a Multicenter Intervention Study on Changes Among Participants and Moderators for Changes Such as the Centers Capacity and Competence and the Participants Motivation

A Healthy Life Center (HLC, 'Frisklivssentrale') is a public community-based health service providing lifestyle support programs for physical activity, smoking cessation and diet, to inhabitants with increased risk for development of non-communicable diseases. HLCs intention is to reach physically inactive people who need guidance to get more physically active, and offer them a lifestyle program for three months or more.

The main aim of this study is to study whether the HLCs, organized according to the Norwegian Directorate of Health's guidelines for municipal healthy life centers, affects the participants short term (3 months) and long term (15 months) physical activity level. Also changes in diet, tobacco use, health related quality of life, physical fitness, anthropometry, self-efficacy, motivation, drug use, use of health services and work participation will be assessed. Secondary aim is to study whether there are any moderators, such as HLCs capacity, expertise, and collaboration with other services, that have significance for participants' change. Also it will be studied whether the HLCs result in larger changes in some subgroups (e.g. socioeconomic) of participants than in others.

Inclusion Criteria:

• about to start structural support for lifestyle change (regarding physical activity, diet and/or tobacco cessation
• referred to a Healthy Life Center (HLC) from either primary physician, from other health care services or social services, or participants seeking contact themselves without a specific referral.

Exclusion Criteria:

• having participated in an HLC the previous 6 months