A Coaching by Telephone Intervention on Engaging Patients to Address Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background A large proportion of deaths and chronic illnesses can be attributed to three modifiable risk factors: tobacco use, overweight/obesity, and physical inactivity. Objective To test whether telephone-based health coaching after completion of a comprehensive health risk assessment (HRA) increases patient activation and enrollment in a prevention program compared to HRA completion alone. Design Two-arm randomized trial at three sites. Setting Primary care clinics at Veterans Affairs facilities. Participants Four hundred seventeen veterans with at least one modifiable risk factor (BMI ≥ 30,