“Healthy Futures”: A Randomized Trial of a Motivational Interviewing Intervention to Promote Future Orientation and Improve Health Outcomes

Future orientation has been linked to improved health and educational outcomes and is a predictor of adolescents' ability to overcome adverse environments. Healthy Futures is an intervention to improve youths' future orientation while reducing their risky behaviors. One hundred and three young people were recruited from an urban primary care clinic to participate in the randomized trial of Healthy Futures. Youth randomized to the intervention (n=49) received 3 in-person motivational interviewing sessions with phone or email follow-up. During the sessions youth discussed goals for their future, identified barriers, and practiced necessary skills for accomplishing their goals. Recruitment and baseline, 6 month, and 15 months assessment is ongoing. Preliminary results are presented. Participants had a mean age of 16.55 (SD 2.03) and were 96% African American. Baseline characteristics for the two groups were similar. At 6 months, those in the intervention were more certain about their abilities to follow their career path including possessing the talents for the career (X27.99; p<.001), finishing job training (X22.54; p<.05), more likely to report planning to find a job (â=.33; p<.05) and have applied for a job (â=.50; p<.05). Additionally, intervention youth demonstrated lower involvement in risk behaviors including weapon carrying (RR .34, p<.01), fighting (RR .24, p<.01), and a trend towards less marijuana use (RR .54, p<.10). The Healthy Futures intervention had a positive impact on youths' future orientation, particularly in regards to their knowledge and future jobs plans and risky behaviors. Future orientation appears malleable with implications for improving youth outcomes.