Personal Behavior Change Research Articles

Normative appeals motivate people to contribute to collective action problems more when they invite people to work together toward a common goal.

A common method to promote behavior change, particularly in contexts related to collective action, is to reference a social norm and ask people to comply with it. We argue that such appeals will be more effective when they couch the norm as an invitation to work with others toward a common goal. In six experiments, we found that working-together normative appeals, which invited people to "join in" and "do it together," increased interest in (Experiments 1, 4, and 5) and actual charitable giving (Experiment 2), reduced paper-towel use in public restrooms (Experiment 3), and increased interest in reducing personal carbon emissions (Experiment 6). By contrast, normative-information appeals, which included the same normative information but no reference to working together, did not affect interest or behavior. Mediation analyses suggest that working-together normative appeals were more effective because they fostered a feeling in participants that they were working together with others, which increased motivation, while inducing less social pressure, which undermined effectiveness. Results show how the very collective nature of collective action problems can be leveraged to promote personal behavior change and help solve societal problems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Mobile Ecological Momentary Assessment and Intervention and Health Behavior Change Among Adults in Rakai, Uganda: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundAn extraordinary increase in mobile phone ownership has revolutionized the opportunities to use mobile health approaches in lower- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Ecological momentary assessment and intervention (EMAI) uses mobile technology to gather data and deliver timely, personalized behavior change interventions in an individual’s natural setting. To our knowledge, there have been no previous trials of EMAI in sub-Saharan Africa.ObjectiveTo advance the evidence base for mobile health (mHealth) interventions in LMICs, we conduct a pilot randomized trial to assess the feasibility of EMAI and establish estimates of the potential effect of EMAI on a range of health-related behaviors in Rakai, Uganda.MethodsThis prospective, parallel-group, randomized pilot trial compared health behaviors between adult participants submitting ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data and receiving behaviorally responsive interventional health messaging (EMAI) with those submitting EMA data alone. Using a fully automated mobile phone app, participants submitted daily reports on 5 different health behaviors (fruit consumption, vegetable consumption, alcohol intake, cigarette smoking, and condomless sex with a non–long-term partner) during a 30-day period before randomization (P1). Participants were then block randomized to the control arm, continuing EMA reporting through exit, or the intervention arm, EMA reporting and behavioral health messaging receipt. Participants exited after 90 days of follow-up, divided into study periods 2 (P2: randomization + 29 days) and 3 (P3: 30 days postrandomization to exit). We used descriptive statistics to assess the feasibility of EMAI through the completeness of data and differences in reported behaviors between periods and study arms.ResultsThe study included 48 participants (24 per arm; 23/48, 48% women; median age 31 years). EMA data collection was feasible, with 85.5% (3777/4418) of the combined days reporting behavioral data. There was a decrease in the mean proportion of days when alcohol was consumed in both arms over time (control: P1, 9.6% of days to P2, 4.3% of days; intervention: P1, 7.2% of days to P3, 2.4% of days). Decreases in sex with a non–long-term partner without a condom were also reported in both arms (P1 to P3 control: 1.9% of days to 1% of days; intervention: 6.6% of days to 1.3% of days). An increase in vegetable consumption was found in the intervention (vegetable: 65.6% of days to 76.6% of days) but not in the control arm. Between arms, there was a significant difference in the change in reported vegetable consumption between P1 and P3 (control: 8% decrease in the mean proportion of days vegetables consumed; intervention: 11.1% increase; P=.01).ConclusionsPreliminary estimates suggest that EMAI may be a promising strategy for promoting behavior change across a range of behaviors. Larger trials examining the effectiveness of EMAI in LMICs are warranted.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04375423; https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04375423

Exploring the Potential of Personalized Dietary Advice for Health Improvement in Motivated Individuals With Premetabolic Syndrome: Pretest-Posttest Study.

BackgroundDietary quality plays an essential role in the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome (MetS).ObjectiveThe aim of this pilot study is to organize personalized dietary advice in a real-life setting and to explore the effects on dietary intake, metabolic health, and perceived health.MethodsWe followed a one-group pretest-posttest design and included 37 individuals at risk of MetS, who indicated motivation to change dietary behavior. For a period of 16 weeks, participants received personalized advice (t=0 and t=8) and feedback (t=0, t=4, t=8, t=12 and t=16) on dietary quality and metabolic health (ie, waist circumference, BMI, blood pressure, lipid profile, fasting glucose levels, and C-peptide). Personalized advice was generated in a two-stage process. In stage 1, an automated algorithm generated advice per food group, integrating data on individual dietary quality (Dutch Healthy Diet Index; total score 8-80) and metabolic health parameters. Stage 2 included a telephone consultation with a trained dietitian to define a personal dietary behavior change strategy and to discuss individual preferences. Dietary quality and metabolic health markers were assessed at t=0, t=8, and t=16. Self-perceived health was evaluated on 7-point Likert scales at t=0 and t=16.ResultsAt the end of the study period, dietary quality was significantly improved compared with the baseline (Dutch Healthy Diet Index +4.3; P<.001). In addition, lipid profile (triglycerides, P=.02; total cholesterol, P=.01; high-density lipoprotein, P<.001; and low-density lipoprotein, P<.001), BMI (P<.001), waist circumference (P=.01), and C-peptide (P=.01) were all significantly improved, whereas plasma glucose increased by 0.23 nmol/L (P=.04). In line with these results, self-perceived health scores were higher at t=16 weeks than at baseline (+0.67; P=.005).ConclusionsThis exploratory study showed that personalized dietary advice resulted in positive effects on dietary behavior, metabolic health, and self-perceived health in motivated pre-MetS adults. The study was performed in a do-it-yourself setting, highlighting the potential of at-home health improvement through dietary changes.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT04595669; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04595669

Factors Associated with the Need for Breastfeeding Information Among Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-sectional Study

PurposeAnalyzing information based on individual needs can maximize the effectiveness of education, leading to changes in personal health behaviors. This cross-sectional descriptive survey study aimed to identify the characteristics of mothers who experienced gestational diabetes mellitus and correlate the factors associated with their information needs. MethodsThe participants were 298 women between the ages of 20 and 49 years who were pregnant and diagnosed with gestational diabetes at the time of the study, or who were diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus within five years after delivery. The average age of the participants was 34.28 years. After comparing participants’ demographics, diabetes, and breastfeeding-related characteristics according to their need for information on breastfeeding, a multiple logistic regression analysis was performed. ResultsFactors associated with participants’ need for information on breastfeeding were economic conditions, usual body mass index, current pregnancy, and experience of breastfeeding. ConclusionThe findings can be used to implement programs that meet the needs of these women and help improve maternal and pediatric health and quality of life.

Six avenues for engendering creative environmentalism

The ubiquitous use of artworks (e.g., paintings, music, films) in environmental activism has been shown to trigger specific cognitive processes as well as changes in personal values and behaviours. There is less understanding of whether (or how) gender-differentiated environmental claims and gender-transformative initiatives are voiced and promoted through art and cultural expressions. Using network analysis, this paper comprehensively reviews ninety-eight years of peer-reviewed literature on gender and environmental activism. We identify six avenues of gendered artistic activism (or ‘artivism’) on environmental issues that communities have pursued in the past. We present a non-prescriptive description of each avenue based on key references in the literature. A gendered lens on artistic activism makes visible the power of different groups to act, be they women, men, LGBTQ or other collectives, their chosen (or available) scopes of creative action when engaging with environmental protection and their thematic foci. A highlight of the study is the significant presence of younger demographics, including children and students in environmental artivism. Finally, we discuss how gendered artivism expands our understanding of environmental action, putting our results in conversation with well-known current environmentalism(s).

Combining Crowd-Sourcing, Census Data, and Public Review Forums for Real-Time, High-Resolution Food Desert Estimation

Objective The metrics for measuring the food environment’s health, called food desert indices, are primarily based on decadal census data, limiting their frequency and geographical resolution to that of the census. This research augments census data with other information sources to create a food desert index that is real-time and geographically more granular. Materials and Methods We started with a tract-level food desert index. We used demographic, geographic, and health data, in addition to real-time data from platforms such as Yelp, Google Maps, and crowd-sourced answers to questionnaires by the Amazon Mechanical Turks. We trained a model that learns the relationship between the baseline food desert index and the more granular or up-to-date information sources. Results We use this real-time, context-aware, and geographically refined index in a concept application that suggests alternative routes with similar ETAs between a source and destination in the Atlanta metropolitan area to expose a traveler to better food environments. The resulting model was sensitive to changes in the environment that occurred after the census data was collected. Discussion Our calculations of 248,000 routes to 28,000 food retailers show that the Atlanta food environment creates a strong bias towards eating out rather than preparing a meal at home when access to vehicles is limited. Conclusions Modern, real-time, and more diverse information sources provide opportunities for researchers to analyze varying food environments. In addition to informing community policymakers more accurately, this approach allows us to measure environmental effects on individuals and suggest personal behavioral changes.

A community perspective of COVID-19 and obesity in children: Causes and consequences.

The pandemic of childhood obesity that has been increasing over the last decade has collided with the current pandemic of COVID-19. Enforced behavioural changes have resulted in a myriad of problems for children particularly in weight management. Restricted activity is the most obvious but many other aspects of life have exacerbated biological, psychosocial, and behavioral factors identified as risks for childhood obesity. Significant effort is required to turn around the prevailing tide of weight gain necessitating changes in personal and family behavior and diet, as well as high-level governmental and educational policy. Evidence-based, focused, long-term interventions which are adequately funded are required. Enthusiasm and optimism for change coupled with public engagement by utilization of new technology as well as traditional methods offers hope for change. Public health interventions in isolation are inadequate and bolder changes to central policies and social structure are needed for sustained change. This will allow some mitigation of the affects of COVID-19 but also reduce negative outcomes in future comparable situations.

Community Climate Conversations: Engaging and Empowering Local Action in a Changing World

We examined how the Twin Ports Climate Conversations (TPCC), a community-based climate communication project, is influencing local climate awareness and response. A survey of TPCC participants and subsequent roundtable discussion event were used to explore program impacts, outcomes, and future directions. Results showed that the TPCC project has been effective at increasing awareness and facilitating contacts and may be leading to actions that range from information sharing to personal behavioral changes. Future directions include engaging new audiences and promoting more on-the-ground climate action. TPCC can serve as a model to help other communities start cross-sectoral climate conversations.

Environmental factors’ contribution in skin cancer etiology

Skin cancers are the most frequent types of malignant tumors worldwide, being mostly found in light-skinned populations, with a ratio of 30%. Approximately 3 million non-melanoma skin cancers and 132000 melanoma cases are diagnosed globally each year. The most frequent skin cancers are the basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma. The incidence, morbidity and mortality of skin cancers are on the rise and have become a major public health concern. We aim to review the most important environmental factors involved in the development of skin cancers, along with the incidence rates and preventive behaviors or strategies (including personal behavioral changes and public educational initiatives). Ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is a well-known physical hazard, responsible for photoaging, photoallergy and phototoxic reactions, being heavily involved in carcinogenesis, including melanoma development. Overexposure to natural and artificial UVR is a public health problem. Sunburns, especially in childhood, are an important risk factor for melanoma development. Excessive exposure causes cumulative damage which determines immune suppression and skin cancer initiation. Transplant patients and AIDS patients have an increased incidence of skin cancer. Some treatment methods, including radiotherapy, phototherapy and psoralen and ultraviolet A (PUVA) therapy can lead to skin cancer development. Viral infections such as those with human papilloma virus can trigger the initiation of squamous cell carcinoma. Patients with familial genetic syndromes are highly sensitive to certain types of skin cancers. Ionising radiation, environmental pollutants, chemical carcinogenic agents and work exposure have been associated with skin cancer. Artificial UV radiation exposure (tanning beds and lamps), aging, skin color, personal diet and smoking are important risk factors. Ultraviolet radiation is the main etiological agent in skin cancer development. A better understanding of the causative factors is an essential step in skin cancer prevention.

A Study to Assess the Knowledge of Control of Childhood Obesity among Mothers of School-Age Children at Maraimalai Nagar, Kancheepuram District

In today's global scenario, there is an increasing incidence of childhood obesity due to the lifestyle changes in personal and eating behaviour which is the primary root cause of various childhood chronic diseases. The main aim of the study was to assess the knowledge of the control of childhood obesity among mothers of school-age children of 6-15years in Maraimalai Nagar. The non-experimental descriptive research design was adopted to assess the level of knowledge on the control of childhood obesity among mothers. One hundred mothers who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected by using a non-probability convenient sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was used to assess the demographic variables and awareness regarding childhood obesity among mothers. The study was conducted at Maraimalai Nagar. Reliability of the tool was established by a split-half method. The results reveal 17.5 % of subjects had inadequate knowledge, 81.4% had moderate knowledge, and only 1 % had adequate knowledge on childhood obesity. The study concludes that the mothers ignore to take preventive measures where their children could be a victim of child obesity. Thus, we affirmed the need for making mothers aware of the control of child obesity and how it can be prevented.

Effect of SARS-CoV-2 antibody screening on participants' attitudes and behaviour: a study of industry workers in Split, Croatia

ObjectivesTo investigate the changes in personal attitudes and behaviour before and after negative serological test results for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies. Study designCross-sectional questionnaire survey. MethodsA survey questionnaire was conducted with 200 industry workers (68% males and 32% females) who had previously tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. The survey examined participants' self-reported general attitudes towards coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), their sense of fear, as well as their behaviour towards protective measures before and after the testing. ResultsParticipants perceived the disease as a severe health threat and acknowledged that the protective measures were appropriate. Respondents reported a high level of adherence to measures and low level of fear, both before and after the testing. Although these indicators were statistically significantly reduced after the test (P < 0.004), they did not result in irresponsible non-adherence behaviours. Almost all respondents attributed their application of personal protection measures to factors other than the results of serological screening. ConclusionsSerological tests do not contribute to irresponsible non-adherence behaviours in an environment where protective measures are efficient. However, they may help reduce fear within society and working environments.

How does age affect personal and social reactions to COVID-19: Results from the national Understanding America Study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had tremendous impact on Americans’ lives including their personal and social behaviors. While people of all ages are affected in some way by the pandemic, older persons have been far more likely to suffer the most severe health consequences. For this reason, how people have responded to mitigating behaviors to COVID-19 may differ by age. Using a nationally representative sample from the longitudinal data of the Understanding America Study (UAS), we examined differentials in behavioral responses to COVID-19 by age and how they changed over the first three months of the pandemic. Behavioral responses and changes in behavior over time differed by age, type of behaviors and time reference. At the beginning of the pandemic (March, 2020), older and younger people were similar in their likelihood of engaging in preventive personal behaviors when controlling for other influences. As the pandemic progressed, however, older people adopted mitigating personal behavioral changes more than younger people, such that about 1–2 months after the pandemic started, older people were more likely to comply with suggested behaviors and regulations including practicing better hygiene, quarantining, and social distancing. One month into the pandemic, older people were less likely than younger people to engage in two of four risky behaviors. The change in risky behavior over time did not differ by age; but both younger and older people were more likely to engage in risky behaviors after two months. Being female, a member of a racial/ethnic minority group, higher socioeconomic status, having more COVID-19 cases in one’s state of residence, a higher perceived risk for infection and dying, and a more left-leaning political orientation were related to adopting more pandemic mitigating behaviors.

Behavioral Reactions and Psychological Responses to 2019-nCoV: A Narrative Review

Context: The emerging 2019-nCoV outbreak has involved almost all countries worldwide. Although the timely dissemination of clear and accurate information on threats of the disease might cause panic, it is needed for rapid adoption and implementation of prevention and control measures. From the early stages of outbreaks, the behavioral responses and public risk perception should be carefully monitored for further policies and corrective measures. Evidence Acquisition: In the current narrative review article, the psychological and behavioral responses are reviewed after an introduction to the risk perception and role of social and personal behavioral changes in the 2019-nCoV outbreak. Additionally, the impact of public perception on mental health problems and containment of the outbreak is discussed. Results: The consequences of the outbreak affect both infected and non-infected people in communities. People may experience loneliness, fear of catching the disease, and loss of loved ones during the outbreak. The timely understanding of the situation, implementation of urgent psychological interventions, and emotional supports are necessary to encourage people to fight this long-term outbreak and prevent subsequent mental health problems. Conclusions: High self-control and public perception can mediate the associated psychological impacts of stressful conditions in outbreaks.

Group education program for hypertension control.

Hypertension continues to be a health crisis, with multiple approaches attempting to define best practices for management. The objective of our hypertension group education program is to improve patient health outcomes through engaging a multidisciplinary health professional team. A 6-hour group curriculum was created with a focus on nutrition, lifestyle, and medication approaches to hypertension management, while incorporating personally identified behavior change goals and barriers. Outcomes were tracked pre-program, at program completion, and 6 and 12months post-program completion. Program participants demonstrated immediate and sustained improvements in blood pressure readings and attainment of personal behavior change goals. Group hypertension education classes are an effective way to care for patients. Additional healthcare resources should be dedicated to creating and evaluating educational delivery models that are sustainable and provide results over time, including financial implications to the health system.

English

Personal protection measures are the key to COVID-19 epidemic control and prevention in the community. Newer forms of media present useful options for such information transmission. By presenting primary data from 420 residents in mainland China, this exploratory study aims to explore the communication mechanism which utilizes new media for disseminating epidemic-related information in the community during the COVID-19 outbreak, and to assess its effectiveness by identifying effects of this communication on perceptions and behaviours accordingly. Results show China-originated mobile social media such as WeChat, rather than FB or TW are predominantly used and preferred compared with the traditional media, on which residents are more reliant for information, and through which both types of general and specialized purpose information take significant effects on individuals&rsquo; perceptions and behaviors toward personal protection. Particularly, the specialized purpose information is more likely to influence individuals&rsquo; personal protection behaviours which are also significantly affected by their perceptions. It reveals that information content or new media content can lead to changes in personal protection perceptions and/or behaviours of residents. This article constructs the mechanism framework of COVID-19 epidemic crisis communication on personal protection. Implications and suggestions are then given for more relevant effective community communication strategy making accordingly. &nbsp; Key words: Community communication, mobile social media, COVID-19, personal protection, media dependency.

Radical Inquiry—Liberatory Praxis for Research and Evaluation

AbstractConventional social science research and evaluation too often replicate unjust and oppressive narratives and assumptions about young people of color's capacities, abilities, and needs, treating them primarily, and sometimes solely, as risk, problem, or disease. Overemphasis on “metrics of compliance,” such as personal behavior change, self‐efficacy, and resilience perpetuate this burden while ignoring those of survival, fortitude, and resistance in the context of structural/historical subjugation, discrimination, and state‐sanctioned violence communities of color have endured as part of US nation‐building. Invisible, insidious, and assumed, the dominant tropes and frameworks render white middle‐class subjectivities as the gold‐standard of achievement, status, and success. RYSE Youth Center in Richmond, California, creates safe spaces grounded in social justice that build youth power for young people to love, learn, educate, heal, and transform lives and communities. Toward this, RYSE employs Radical Inquiry through intentional, active, and ongoing listening. Radical Inquiry facilitates connection, proximity, and empathy—humanization.

Personalised nutrition technologies: a new paradigm for dietetic practice and training in a digital transformation era

Personalised nutrition technologies: a new paradigm for dietetic practice and training in a digital transformation era

Do healthy doctors deliver better messages of health promotion to their patients?: Data from the SUN cohort study.

Healthy lifestyle adherence is associated with lower chronic disease morbidity/mortality. The role of doctors, as counselors and role models, is essential. Among physicians participating in a prospective cohort, we investigated the behavioral counseling on diet and lifestyle provided to their patients in association with their own personal behaviors. We assessed 890 doctors aged ≤65 years participating in the 'Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra' (SUN) cohort, who replied to an online questionnaire regarding their practices on behavioral counseling and drug prescription to their patients. Data were combined with previous baseline information on their personal healthy habits. Among doctors, 31% reported <10 min per visit; 73% counseled 60-100% of their patients on smoking cessation, 58% on physical activity, 54% on weight control, 51% on healthy nutrition, 44% on alcohol avoidance/reduction and 28% recommended alcohol moderate consumption. The percentage of doctors that counseled 100% of their patients about lifestyle was 43% for smoking cessation, 15% for exercise and 13% for weight control and nutrition. Better doctor's adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern was associated with more frequent and longer nutrition counseling. Higher practice of physical activity was associated with longer time on counseling about exercise to their patients. Among doctors both current and former smoking were inversely associated with the frequency and duration of their smoking cessation/avoidance counseling practices. Personal behavioral changes among doctors and better training of medical doctors on a personal healthy diet and lifestyle are likely to contribute to improve the behavioral counseling given to patients.

Efforts in reducing air pollution exposure risk in China: State versus individuals

China has made great efforts towards air pollutant concentration control during the past five years, which has led to positive outcomes. However, air pollutant concentration focused efforts were considered separately from human exposure risk. And this might result in a misunderstanding that reducing exposure risk can only rely on the national level measures of air pollutant control. This study integrates the first Chinese survey of human activity patterns and the spatially continuous high-resolution PM2.5 concentration maps to reveal the spatial and temporal variations of China’s air pollution exposure risk from 2013 to 2017. More importantly, the effects on risk reduction from multi-scale and multi-object perspectives (reductions of ambient PM2.5 concentrations by national or provincial measures and changes of individual behavior patterns by personal efforts) are deeply investigated. Results show that the reductions of PM2.5 concentration and associated reductions of exposure risk from 2013 to 2017 were 40% and 35.7%, respectively. They also showed that both the reduction of PM2.5 concentrations and change of personal behavior patterns were effective for risk reduction when China’s total PM2.5 exposure risk was higher than 1.58. However, only individual behavior changes contributed to risk reduction for scenarios with state-level risk value below 1.58. For regional strategies, threshold values for PM2.5 exposure risk control differentiating national measures or personal efforts were spatially and temporally dependent. The role of personal behavior changes on PM2.5 exposure risk reduction was growing in these five years with concentration rapidly decreasing regions. The findings suggest that people-centered air pollution exposure risk prevention not only depends on government management for air pollution control, but also on individual changes of activity patterns. Efforts from the state and individuals are both essential for reducing air pollution exposure risk in China, especially growing individual efforts are needed in regions with the decreasing air pollutant concentrations in the coming future. Moreover, this study mainly discussed the PM2.5 exposure risk from the macroscopic perspective, the research at the microcosmic perspective is also needed in the further study.

Impact of Value Education in Personal Behaviour of Students: A Case Study of Nepal

Values are certain characteristics which affect the behaviour and characters of an individual. Values are a kind of standard principles that are used to judge the worth of an idea or action. They provide the criteria by which we decide whether something is good or bad, right or wrong. Values are taught by the value education of school. In Nepal, there is separate course of value education in basic education (grade 6 to 8). The main aim of this study was to explore the impact of value education in personal behaviour of students. The study was conducted in three districts (Dolkha, Kavre and Chitwan) of Nepal among the 600 students and teachers. The study was based on the quantitative approach. The result shows that the value education had taught basic qualities of life like Honesty, hard work, respect for others, cooperation, compassion, and forgiveness. It has brought the positive change in personal behaviour of students. Though, they reported the need of improvement in teaching practices because there was significant difference between the importance level and practice level of value education to teach the quality of life to change in personal behaviour.