Five A's Motivational Interviewing: A Case Study

Obesity is an increasing concern among industrialized countries, especially in the United States. Behavior modification has been key in addressing ways of approaching weight loss that are patient centered. Initiating the conversation of weight loss can be approached by using the five A’s Motivational Interviewing. The first “A” is assessing the risk, behavior, and readiness to change; followed by, Advising a behavioral change; Agree on a reasonable goal, assist in Addressing the behavior and securing support; and arranging follow- up visits. A notebook can be provided with five distinct areas that allows the patient to keep a log of the agreed upon exercises performed each day, the types of food eaten during the day. This area can be a place to express the
Lifestyle changes do not occur in a six-week crash diets; instead, they occur gradually and over a long period of time. Therefore, a weight- loss program has to be broken p into phases, and end each phase with a reward. In the initial phase, it is important for the patient to keep a log of the food that is consumed in a day; and to identify healthy diet choices, and to identify choices that could have been better. Then, take that knowledge and apply it to the next day. Which dietary approaches taken today; where better then yesterday? This approach has to be taken when adjusting the sedentary lifestyle that is associated with being over weight and obesity. As research has shown, individuals that do short bursts of intense exercise tend to make up for it by being increasingly sedentary the rest of the day (Prince, Saunders, Gresty, & Reid & 2014). Therefore, initially it is important to decrease the sedentary lifestyle, or decrease sitting time. Initially, the patient can log how much time they spent not being sedentary. As the stages advance, the physical activity become more demanding, and the diet can begin to decrease in caloric