Health coaching is on the rise and here to stay. Why is that? What does it have to offer? Would working with a health coach benefit you – as a client/ patient, or as a nutritional therapist or other healthcare professional?
Health coaches seem to be everywhere in the health and wellness world these days. The UK’s NHS already employs over 3000 health coaches in a variety of roles – assisting outcomes in GP practices, as key members of specialist care teams, in hospital outpatient and rehab activities, and in research groups studying new approaches, among many other settings (1). Health coaches are routinely found at the heart of teams focused on exploring and expanding primary care initiatives to address chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Beyond conventional medicine, health coaches are finding jobs with insurers or digital coaching services. A fast-growing trend is specialisation in a single issue or several related ones, such as food addiction, autoimmune conditions, children’s cognition and behavioural issues. Some health coaches work closely with a physical therapist, other wellness trainers – or with a nutritional therapist.
What Can a Health Coach Do?
So, what does health coaching bring to the party? What can coaches achieve with clients or patients, and how does that support other health professionals and improve outcomes?
We all know how hard (usually) it is to properly install new daily habits when it’s just us on the case, even when the benefits are working! But partnering with a health coach over several months – sometimes up to a year or more – can prove transformative when the client is motivated and primed to make lifestyle changes to address one or more chronic conditions – and determined to make them stick.
It is not the job of a health coach to prescribe or advise specific recommendations, but they can help the client understand and comply with treatment plans from a doctor or other therapist. And when the coach and client are working independently of another professional, they can co-create a suitable menu plan, for example, which is likely to be far more useful (i.e. followed!) than just being given a standard plan. Along the way the coach can explore the client’s knowledge, skills, preferences, time-pressures and other constraints, etc. They can then help develop the client’s understanding of nutrition and other aspects of lifestyle as they explore and adopt new foods and eating habits, along with other behaviours that will support achievement of their wellness goals.
Benefits of Working With a Health Coach
Accountability is king
For many clients and patients, accountability is the master key to success when making healthy upgrades. We all know the power of commitment to another person when it comes to making a change or just ‘going for it’. Once the plan is agreed, the client is ‘on the hook’ and far more likely to stay the course through all the ups and downs that inevitably turn up on the journey.
Research is accumulating that highlights the effectiveness of sustained coaching in improving disease management, quality of life and overall well-being. Here are some key benefits:
Chronic disease self-management
Clients are encouraged and expected to take an active role in managing their chronic conditions. Long term coaching has been shown to improve adherence to treatment plans, medication and diet and lifestyle modifications, all crucial in managing conditions like diabetes, heart disease and hypertension (2).
Lifestyle modification
Long term coaching supports sustainable behaviour change, such as increasing physical activity, improving dietary and sleeping habits, and reducing or quitting smoking or alcohol use. Over time, these changes can profoundly impact disease progression and reduce complications.
Improved psychological well-being, stress reduction and emotional support
Clients with chronic diseases often face emotional challenges such as anxiety, depression or unremitting stress. Health coaching offers ongoing emotional support and coping strategies that can reduce psychological distress.
Fewer hospitalisations and less emergency care
Regular coaching can help clients avoid relapse and complications through better management of their disease. This means fewer emergency visits and hospital admissions, along with reduced health care costs and related expenses.
Tailored approaches for complex conditions
Chronic diseases often involve several forms of care (medication, diet, exercise, mental health support, etc). Long term health coaching offers personalised, patient centred support to navigate the complexities of managing such conditions.
Sustained commitment to care
Long term health coaching strengthens a continuous relationship with the coach based around accountability, which fosters long term engagement in health behaviours and helps people stay on track even if or when motivation falters.
Health coaching is here to stay and gaining an important foothold in the field of chronic disease management. Other health professionals wishing to improve patient/client outcomes would be smart to partner with a health coach in order to leverage their knowledge, skills and time, particularly in terms of accountability, nutrition and wellness education, and problem solving on their journey to better health.
IINH, The International Institute of Nutrition & Health, has pioneered education for health coaches in Ireland since 2002 and across the world since 2013, with graduates currently active in over 50 countries. UKIHCA (3) is the worldwide professional body that promotes and regulates Health Coaching.
Refs:
- The impact of health and wellness coaching on patient-important outcomes in chronic illness care: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Beohmer K et al. Patient Education and Counseling. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2023.107975
- Health and wellness coaching and sustained gains: A rapid systemic review. Ahmann K et al. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2023. doi: 10.1177/15598276231180117
- UK & International Health Coaching Association. https://www.ukihca.com
Richard Burton studied Human Nutrition at London University in 1968-71, under Professor John Yudkin. Following three years of dietary fibre and related research at Helsinki University he left academia to develop skills in dietary counselling and nutrition education. He moved to Ireland in 1996 and set up the Irish (now International) Institute of Nutrition & Health (IINH) in 2002.
