This guideline, Healthy Lifestyles, summarizes evidence-based practices which can be used to assess, advise, seek patient agreement, and assist patients as they work towards healthy lifestyle behaviors (lifestyles related to physical activity, tobacco, alcohol, nutrition, healthy thinking, and sleep).
We expect that individuals and systems will use this guideline in various ways, depending on their needs and interests. We outline routine brief interventions supported by the evidence for all patients (i.e., helping patients become tobacco-free, helping patients recognize and modify hazardous drinking patterns). For the other healthy behaviors, we outline evidence-based practices that clinicians and health systems can recommend to motivated patients (both what and how to recommend) through a process of shared decision-making.
