Lifestyle redesign program with motivational enhancement for young people with drug use in Hong Kong: a retrospective study

Background Effective lifestyle intervention is essential to promote transition from an addictive life to a drug-free lifestyle. This study retrospectively evaluated the Lifestyle Redesign Program (LRP), a lifestyle intervention featured with motivational enhancement, in promoting drug-free and engaging lifestyle in young drug users in Hong Kong. Methods Retrospective observational design with single-group pre-and-post intervention comparison was adopted. Participants were recruited from two residential detoxification centers. Demographics, abstinence information, engagement status, and outcome measures including self-efficacy on drug avoidance, perceived general health and quality of life were collected. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, paired t-test and Spearman's rank-order correlation. Results A total of 86 participants were recruited. Seventy-two of them (83.7%) maintained abstinence for at least 2 months and 64 of them (74.4%) had meaningful engagement in terms of competitive employment or study after completing the LRP. Statistically significant improvements were found in self-efficacy on drug avoidance (t = 8.3, p < .01, d = 0.90), perceived general health (t = 7.4, p < .01, d = 0.79), and overall quality of life (t = 5.4 to 8.3, p < .01, d = 0.59 to 0.89). Conclusions The findings provide preliminary evidence that LRP is associated with promoting abstinence and achieving healthy lifestyle for young drug users. More controlled studies are recommended to rigorously examine its effectiveness.