Goal Setting: a Strategy for Behavior Change of Patients with Diabetes

Goal setting,a procedure for translating patients' self-management and behavior change intentions into goals,is a common behavioral intervention and contributes to behavior change.This paper is to introduce the kind of goals,the principle and procedure of goal setting and the effects of goal setting used in diabetes education program.The results show that although goal setting is an effective strategy for behavior change,it is not a routine part of clinical care.Three factors contribute to the problem.First,patient education materials are not usualy designed to facilitate goal setting.Second,health workers are not trained to help patients create goals.Third,health workers lack time.To help patients set and achieve behavioral goals,the corresponding curriculum should be developed and health workers should be trained.