Smart Counseling Model For Dietary and Physical Activity Patterns to Promote Healthy Lifestyle Awareness: A Community-Based Intervention Study

Abstract

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) driven by unhealthy dietary habits and physical inactivity represent a growing public health challenge in Indonesia. This study aimed to design and implement a smart counseling model integrating Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to promote healthy lifestyle awareness among members of the Sereale Family Harmony Group (Kerukunan Keluarga Sereale) in Makassar, South Sulawesi. A pre-experimental design with a one-group pre-test post-test approach was employed. Eighteen members aged 25-60 years participated, with 16 completing all sessions (participation rate 88.9%). The intervention consisted of four structured group counseling sessions (60-90 minutes each) and individual sessions (45-60 minutes), delivered over four weeks in April-May 2026. Data were collected using a validated Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP) questionnaire (CVI=0.89), anthropometric measurements, and the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) readiness-to-change scale. Results demonstrated significant improvements: mean nutrition knowledge scores increased from 58.3 to 82.6 (41.7% improvement); attitude scores toward healthy lifestyle improved from 3.1 to 4.2 on a Likert scale (35.5% improvement); proportion meeting recommended fruit and vegetable intake rose from 25% to 62.5%; and proportion meeting physical activity recommendations increased from 18.75% to 56.25%. Participants in the action and maintenance stages of TTM increased from 12.5% to 68.75%. The MI-CBT integrated counseling model proved effective in enhancing healthy lifestyle awareness in this community setting, offering a replicable model for community-based NCD prevention programs in similar socio-cultural contexts