Indigenous Lifescripts - a tool for modifying lifestyle risk factors for chronic disease.

BACKGROUND: A national chronic disease strategy has been described focusing on health promotion and lifestyle change, screening and evidence based disease management. The Lifescripts resources complement this strategy by focusing on health promotion and lifestyle change. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the role of the recently developed indigenous Lifescripts resources as a tool for health checks and chronic disease prevention and management. DISCUSSION: Effective indigenous health promotion requires appropriate tools for behavioural modification and community engagement. This involves a greater emphasis on the social determinants of health to reduce the barriers to healthy behaviours. The indigenous Lifescripts provide a flexible tool for health care providers in the indigenous health sector to deliver lifestyle related brief interventions that accommodate local community resources and support structures. However, to maximise their potential, a systematic approach to incorporating these tools into practice must be adopted.