Can home-based motivational interviewing help families build healthier habits?
This study explored whether using motivational interviewing (MI) during home visits was a practical and acceptable approach for supporting families with preschool-aged children to improve health behaviours.
What We Did and Why We Did It
Researchers examined how well health educators used MI techniques, how parents experienced the intervention, and what lessons could inform future family-based health programs. We analyzed data from 44 families with preschool-aged children who participated in the Guelph Family Health Study pilot intervention. Families were randomly assigned to receive either two or four home visits with a health educator, weekly emails, and monthly incentives, or a control condition. During home visits, health educators used motivational interviewing techniques to help families identify health goals related to behaviours such as family meals, physical activity, sleep routines, screen time, and sugar-sweetened beverage intake. Researchers evaluated how effectively health educators used MI strategies, surveyed parents about their satisfaction with the intervention, and conducted interviews to understand families’ experiences with the home visits.
Parents play an important role in shaping young children’s health behaviours, but making healthy changes can be challenging due to busy schedules, competing responsibilities, and family routines. Motivational interviewing is a collaborative approach that helps individuals identify their own reasons for change and develop realistic goals. While MI has been used in clinical settings, less was known about whether it could be effectively delivered in families’ homes. Understanding families’ experiences with home-based MI can help improve future interventions that support healthy behaviours during early childhood.
What We Found
What We Can Learn From This
Health educators were able to successfully use motivational interviewing techniques during home visits, demonstrating strong adherence to MI principles. Most families responded positively to the intervention, with 93% reporting that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the counselling they received. Parents appreciated the personalized support, opportunity to discuss family health goals, and the trust they developed with health educators. Families found tools such as goal tracking and routine monitoring helpful for making behaviour changes. Health educators also reported that visiting families in their homes helped them better understand each family’s unique environment and challenges. Some parents suggested that future programs could include more specific action plans, more child-focused resources, and additional follow-up visits.
Providing health support directly in the home environment may help families feel more comfortable, understood, and supported when working toward healthier habits. Motivational interviewing can be a valuable approach because it focuses on families’ own goals and encourages realistic, personalized changes. Future family health programs may benefit from combining MI with ongoing support, practical resources, and follow-up opportunities to help families maintain behaviour changes over time.
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