Abstract
BackgroundThere is increasing interest in brief and very brief behaviour change interventions for physical activity as they are potentially scalable to the population level. However, few very brief interventions (VBIs) have been published, and evidence is lacking about their feasibility, acceptability and which ‘active ingredients’ (behaviour change techniques) would maximise their effectiveness. The aim of this research was to identify and develop promising VBIs for physical activity and test their feasibility and acceptability in the context of preventive health checks in primary care.MethodsThe process included two stages, guided by four criteria: effectiveness, feasibility, acceptability, and cost. In Stage 1, we used an iterative approach informed by systematic reviews, a scoping review of BCTs, team discussion, stakeholder consultation, a qualitative study, and cost estimation to guide the development of promising VBIs. In Stage 2, a feasibility study assessed the feasibility and acceptability of the short-listed VBIs, using tape-recordings and interviews with practitioners (n = 4) and patients (n = 68), to decide which VBIs merited further evaluation in a pilot trial.ResultsFour VBIs were short-listed: Motivational intervention; Action Planning intervention; Pedometer intervention; and Physical Activity Diary intervention. All were deliverable in around five minutes and were feasible and acceptable to participants and practitioners. Based on the results of interviews with practitioners and patients, techniques from the VBIs were combined into three new VBIs for further evaluation in a pilot trial.ConclusionsUsing a two-stage approach, in which we considered the practicability of VBIs (acceptability, feasibility and cost) alongside potential efficacy from the outset, we developed a short-list of four promising VBIs for physical activity and demonstrated that they were acceptable and feasible as part of a preventive health check in primary care.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN02863077. Registered 5 October 2012.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1703-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
There is increasing interest in brief and very brief behaviour change interventions for physical activity as they are potentially scalable to the population level
Stage 1: Generation and development of a short-list of very brief interventions (i) Generation of a short-list of promising Very brief intervention (VBI) Table 1 shows the findings of the systematic reviews, scoping review, stakeholder consultation, qualitative research and cost estimation
The scoping review of Behaviour change technique (BCT) identified 17 BCTs that could feasibly be included in a low-cost, fiveminute VBI
Summary
There is increasing interest in brief and very brief behaviour change interventions for physical activity as they are potentially scalable to the population level. The aim of this research was to identify and develop promising VBIs for physical activity and test their feasibility and acceptability in the context of preventive health checks in primary care. There has been a focus on developing brief and very brief behaviour change interventions targeting physical activity [4-6]. These have the potential to reach a large proportion of the adult population and could be delivered in routine or preventive primary care consultations, such as the National Health Service (NHS) health checks which target adults aged 40–74 adults [7]. Definitions of BIs often include interventions that are too
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