Health coaching 2.0: redefining a core lifestyle medicine intervention through a structured, BCT-based model

Background Preventing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is a global health priority, as they remain the leading cause of mortality globally, responsible for over 40 million deaths each year. Health coaching has demonstrated potential to improve lifestyle behaviors and health outcomes, yet its practical application is limited by inconsistent definitions and training standards.

This brief report evaluates the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a systematically defined health coaching model—PrioMed®—that translates the coaching process into evidence-based Behavior Change Techniques (BCTs), providing a structured and teachable framework for healthcare delivery.

A single-arm pilot study (n = 25) was conducted in private healthcare in Finland. Two registered nurses without prior coaching experience were trained for three half-day sessions and used a 25-page manual to deliver PrioMed® coaching across seven phone-based sessions over six months. Participants completed baseline and follow-up surveys, including the PROMIS-10 Global Health instrument. Paired-sample t tests and Cohen’s d were used to assess changes in physical and mental health T-scores.

Participants (mean age 61.9 years, 76% female) showed significant improvements in self-reported health. Physical health increased by +5.72 T-points (p < .001, d = 1.31) and mental health by +4.43 T-points (p < .001, d = 0.83), both indicating large effect sizes.

Redefining health coaching through an explicit BCT framework appears feasible, teachable, and capable of generating meaningful health improvements within limited coaching time. The PrioMed® model offers a replicable approach for digital and nurse-led lifestyle interventions that warrants further evaluation in controlled trials and more diverse real-world populations. Competing Interest Statement Conflicts of Interest The authors declare the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: PrioMed is a trademark registered in Finland by Nordic Health Academy. Ari Langinkoski is employed by Nordic Health Academy as Head of Education and is a shareholder of the company. Ari Langinkoski, Mikko Rinta, Pekka Aroviita, and Mika Venojaervi serve as members of the Scientific Advisory Board of Nordic Health Academy. Mikko Rinta is employed by Terveystalo as Lead Nutritionist and is a minority shareholder in Nordic Health Academy. Pekka Aroviita works as an independent private lifestyle medicine practitioner and is a minority shareholder in Nordic Health Academy. Ari Langinkoski is also Chair of the EuropeActive Technical Expert Group (TEG), which is developing European standards to support the health and lifestyle coaching role. All other authors declare no additional conflicts of interest. Funding Statement This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for- profit sectors. Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below: The study was approved by The Regional Medical Research Ethics Committee of Eastern Finland Collaborative Area (approval number: [1121/13.02.00/2022]). All participants provided written informed consent prior to enrollment, and the study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes Footnotes This version has been substantially revised in preparation for journal submission. References to previously unpublished material (Haemaelaeinen et al.) have been updated, and the manuscript has been reformatted to align with journal submission guidelines. No new data have been added, and all analyses remain unchanged. Data Availability All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors