Behavioral Counseling on Nutrition and Physical Activity: Some Value for Some Patients

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force found no evidence of clinical benefit, but modest evidence exists for improved health behaviors and intermediate cardiovascular outcomes such as lowered blood pressure.

Sponsoring Organization: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

Target Audience: Primary care clinicians

Background

The USPSTF has updated its 2012 recommendation on behavioral counseling for improving lifestyle and preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in nonobese patients without CVD risk factors. The task force reviewed 88 clinical trials that involved ≈120,000 nonobese adults without hypertension, dyslipidemia, or diabetes. Interventions included tailored print- or Web-based educational materials and individual or group counseling delivered by a wide range of health professionals, with durations ranging from 4 weeks to 6 years.

Key Findings

The task force found adequate evidence to show that behavioral counseling has these effect…

Reviewing Author

Thomas L. Schwenk, MD

Disclosures

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