Motivational interviewing chatbot improves way of life in main healthcare settings in a realistic randomised managed trial

Non-communicable illnesses (NCDs) impose escalating calls for on community-based main healthcare (PHC) methods globally. Motivational interviewing (MI) is efficient however tough to scale attributable to useful resource and coaching constraints. We carried out the primary pragmatic trial evaluating whether or not an automatic chatbot operationalising MI rules might enhance way of life behaviours when built-in into routine PHC settings. This pragmatic, open-label, multicentre randomised managed trial throughout three Hong Kong PHC amenities randomised 627 adults aged 45–75 with or vulnerable to hypertension or diabetes. Participants obtained both a 12-week automated MI chatbot intervention plus typical care or typical care alone. Modified intention-to-treat evaluation (n = 460) confirmed important enhancements within the intervention group in comparison with typical care in bodily exercise (576 MET-min/week), fruit/vegetable consumption (0.27 parts/day), and dedicated motion (0.95 a.u.) at 12 weeks. Larger results amongst adherent members recommended a dose–response relationship. Exploratory subgroup analyses confirmed sturdy results amongst members with low baseline bodily exercise (537 MET-min/week) and systolic blood strain reductions amongst hypertensive members (−5.03 mmHg). Effects had been sustained at 9-month follow-up. No critical adversarial occasions had been reported. This scalable MI chatbot affords a realistic method to NCD prevention in resource-constrained settings. Trial registration: ScientificTrials.gov, NCT05949320, registered 29 June 2023.