Theory-Based Interventions Combining Mental Simulation and Planning Techniques to Improve Physical Activity: Null Results from Two Randomized Controlled Trials.

Carine Meslot,Aurélie Gauchet,Olivier François,Benoît Allenet,Martin S Hagger

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01789

Abstract

Interventions to assist individuals in initiating and maintaining regular participation in physical activity are not always effective. Psychological and behavioral theories advocate the importance of both motivation and volition in interventions to change health behavior. Interventions adopting self-regulation strategies that foster motivational and volitional components may, therefore, have utility in promoting regular physical activity participation. We tested the efficacy of an intervention adopting motivational (mental simulation) and volitional (implementation intentions) components to promote a regular physical activity in two studies. Study 1 adopted a cluster randomized design in which participants (n = 92) were allocated to one of three conditions: mental simulation plus implementation intention, implementation intention only, or control. Study 2 adopted a 2 (mental simulation vs. no mental simulation) × 2 (implementation intention vs. no implementation intention) randomized controlled design in which fitness center attendees (n = 184) were randomly allocated one of four conditions: mental simulation only, implementation intention only, combined, or control. Physical activity behavior was measured by self-report (Study 1) or fitness center attendance (Study 2) at 4- (Studies 1 and 2) and 19- (Study 2 only) week follow-up periods. Findings revealed no statistically significant main or interactive effects of the mental simulation and implementation intention conditions on physical activity outcomes in either study. Findings are in contrast to previous research which has found pervasive effects for both intervention strategies. Findings are discussed in light of study limitations including the relatively small sample sizes, particularly for Study 1, deviations in the operationalization of the intervention components from previous research and the lack of a prompt for a goal intention. Future research should focus on ensuring uniformity in the format of the intervention components, test the effects of each component alone and in combination using standardized measures across multiple samples, and systematically explore effects of candidate moderators.

Highlights

Physical inactivity is related to all-cause mortality and implicated in 6% of total deaths globally (WHO, 2010a)
Research adopting the same design has found that only implementation intention intervention was effective in evoking change (Hagger et al, 2012b). While these findings provide some indication that the combination of mental simulation and implementation intention strategies can lead to optimal engagement in health behavior, results do not provide unequivocal support and Hagger et al.’s (2012a) conditional findings for high alcohol consumers suggest that effects are most substantive when motivation is low and individuals are resistant to change and have high levels of an undesired behavior
In Study 1, we examined the effect of an intervention combining implementation intentions and mental simulations on physical activity participation relative to an implementation intention intervention alone and a no intervention control condition in a student sample

Summary

Introduction

Physical inactivity is related to all-cause mortality and implicated in 6% of total deaths globally (WHO, 2010a). Physical inactivity is associated with increased risk from multiple chronic illnesses and conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, and obesity (Blair et al, 1995; Jeon et al, 2007; Bell et al, 2014; Brenner, 2014). Numerous studies have demonstrated the benefits of participating in regular physical activity. Population studies have shown that participation in regular physical activity is likely to reduced all-cause mortality, notably deaths caused by cardiovascular disease (Blair et al, 1995). This has led to the development of national guidelines for the type, frequency, intensity and duration of physical activity thought to confer health benefits. While there are idiosyncratic differences in guideline content, most advocate at least 30 min of moderate-tovigorous physical activity on at least 5 days of the week (NHS, 2008; WHO, 2010b)

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