How well does coaching work?

There is a great need for lifestyle and behavior changes among the general population. Although not all, many chronic illnesses, are a matter of changing our behavior and living a healthier lifestyle. According to the CDC, “As a nation, we spend 90% of our health care dollars on the treatment of chronic diseases. These persistent conditions—the nation’s leading causes of death and disability—leave in their wake deaths that could have been prevented, lifelong disability, compromised quality of life, and burgeoning health care costs.” Prevention and treatment of chronic illnesses on both an individual and national level is of utmost importance. Health coaching is well-suited to assist individuals to live happier, healthier lives while preventing or managing a chronic illness.

The most comprehensive support to date for the effectiveness of health coaching comes from the combination of two systematic reviews published in 2017 and 2019, which reviewed a total of 323 research papers on lifestyle diseases. After a thorough analysis of the available data, Sforzo et al. concluded that:

  • “Health and wellness coaching is rapidly emerging as an adjunct treatment for lifestyle diseases, which collectively are the greatest of morbidity and mortality in the developed worlds. Health and wellness coaching hold great potential for advancing healthy behavior change and stemming the rising tide in prevalence of chronic disease.”
  • “A vast and growing body of research describing health and wellness coaching as an intervention, with clear potential for clinical effectiveness.”

Another systematic review from 2009 -2013, found that “health coaching produces positive effects on patients’ physiological, behavioral, and psychological conditions and on their social life. In particular, statistically significant results revealed better weight management, increased physical activity, and improved physical and mental health status” (Kivela, 2014).

In a study using health coaching, Lawson et al. (2013) found that participants reported:

  • 21% increase in being very satisfied with physical activity level
  • 12% decrease in high levels of stress
  • 15% increase in good emotional health
  • 12% increase in good physical health
  • 11% increase in sleeping well

The Mayo Clinic completed a study looking at the effectiveness of health coaching and found that in all areas measured, participants increased their overall score and maintained a score above their baseline during the 3-month follow up (Clark et al., 2014). For a visual depiction see chart below that was summarized by The Wall Street Journal.

Health coaching has demonstrated effectiveness in enhancing a diverse range of areas such as:

  • Stress levels
  • Healthy eating
  • Exercise levels
  • Physical health
  • Emotional health
  • Readiness to make changes
  • Weight management
  • Quality of life
  • Diabetes
  • Hypertension
  • Heart disease
  • Obesity
  • Sleep
  • Overall reported wellness

Despite traditional methods of information-sharing or professional advice, many individuals struggle to make and sustain healthy behavior changes (Kelly & Barker, 2016). However, health coaching has the potential to bridge this gap by providing tailored, one-on-one support. As a key element in promoting healthy and satisfying lives, health coaching is gaining recognition as an emerging field with growing evidence. Whether an individual seeks to make lifestyle changes to promote overall health or manage a chronic illness, health coaching offers promising solutions.

 

References

Clark, Matthew M., PhD, Bradley, Karleah L., BS, Jenkins, Sarah M., MS, Mettler, Emily A., BA, Larson, Brent G., MEd, Preston, Heather R., MS, Liesinger, Juliette T., MS, Werneburg, Brooke L., BA, Hagen, Philip T., MD, Harris, Ann M., BA, Riley, Beth A., MBA, Olsen, Kerry D., MD, & Vickers Douglas, Kristin S., PhD. (2014). The Effectiveness of Wellness Coaching for Improving Quality of Life. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 89(11), 1537–1544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2014.04.028

Kivelä, Elo, S., Kyngäs, H., & Kääriäinen, M. (2014). The effects of health coaching on adult patients with chronic diseases: A systematic review. Patient Education and Counseling, 97(2), 147–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2014.07.026

Kelly, & Barker, M. (2016). Why is changing health-related behaviour so difficult? Public  Health (London), 136, 109–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2016.03.030

Lawson, Jonk, Y., O'connor, H., Riise, K. S., Eisenberg, D. M., & Kreitzer, M. J. (2013). The Impact of Telephonic Health Coaching on Health Outcomes in a High-riskPopulation. Global Advances in Health and Medicine, 2(3), 40–46.https://doi.org/10.7453/gahmj.2013.039

Sforzo, Kaye, M. P., Todorova, I., Harenberg, S., Costello, K., Cobus-Kuo, L., Faber, A., Frates, E., & Moore, M. (2018). Compendium of the Health and Wellness Coaching Literature. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 12(6), 436–447. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827617708562

Sforzo, Kaye, M. P., Harenberg, S., Costello, K., Cobus-Kuo, L., Rauff, E., Edman, J. S., Frates, E., & Moore, M. (2020). Compendium of Health and Wellness Coaching: 2019 Addendum. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 14(2), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827619850489

Wolever RQ, Dreusicke M, Fikkan J, et al. Integrative Health Coaching for Patients With Type 2 Diabetes. The Diabetes Educator. 2010;36(4):629-639. doi:10.1177/0145721710371523