Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
An official website of the United States government
Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title
Borsari B, Herbst E, Ladd BO, Delacruz J, Mastroleo N, Smith AR, Fetterling T, Poole L, Baxley C, Wu A. Learning & motivational talk in smoking cessation interventions: An examination of session language in two randomized trials. Patient education and counseling. 2025 Jan 1; 130:108421, DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2024.108421.
Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects. OBJECTIVES: Motivational Interviewing (MI), a client-centered approach that seeks to evoke and resolve ambivalence, and health education (HE), which provides health information and advice, may both provide some benefit to unmotivated smokers. In HE, it is possible that client language reflective of new learning, or "learning talk" (LT), and rejection of health advice, or "rejection talk," (RT), may uniquely reflect intent of subsequent behavior change. METHODS: This project utilized MI and HE sessions from two randomized clinical trials (RCTs), one in a low-income, diverse community civilian sample of 255 unmotivated smokers, and the other in a sample of Veterans with mental illness who were unmotivated smokers (n = 55). Mixed methods approaches were utilized to reliably code sessions using the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code 2.5 (MISC 2.5) and a refined Learning Talk coding system. RESULTS: Reliability of LT and RT codes ranged from fair to excellent (ICCs from 0.43-0.93). CONCLUSION: LT appears to be a unique construct and its impact on post-session changes in smoking is warranted. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This system can be used in a study to code existing interventions for smokers using both MI and HE techniques and relate in-session client LT to subsequent smoking behaviors.
