Background: According to World Health Organization about 75% of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes
and 40% of all cases of cancer could be prevented if the risk factors tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity
and harmful use of alcohol could be eliminated. Patients often need help in monitoring themselves to make the
proper lifestyle changes and it is important that adequate support is provided to enable the patients to take control
over their health. Motivational interviewing is a framework that can help to facilitate this movement. The aim of this
study was to describe how patients in primary health care settings experience lifestyle discussions based on
motivational interviewing.