Gardner, B;
Arden, MA;
Brown, D;
Eves, FF;
Green, J;
Hamilton, K;
Hankonen, N;
... Lally, P; + view all
(2021)
Developing habit-based health behaviour change interventions: twenty-one questions to guide future research.
Psychology & Health
10.1080/08870446.2021.2003362.
(In press).
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Abstract
Objective: Habitual behaviours are triggered automatically, with little conscious forethought. Theory suggests that making healthy behaviours habitual, and breaking the habits that underpin many ingrained unhealthy behaviours, promotes long-term behaviour change. This has prompted interest in incorporating habit formation and disruption strategies into behaviour change interventions. Yet, notable research gaps limit understanding of how to harness habit to change real-world behaviours. / Methods: Discussions among health psychology researchers and practitioners, at the 2019 European Health Psychology Society ‘Synergy Expert Meeting’, generated pertinent questions to guide further research into habit and health behaviour. / Results: In line with the four topics discussed at the meeting, 21 questions were identified, concerning: how habit manifests in health behaviour (3 questions); how to form healthy habits (5 questions); how to break unhealthy habits (4 questions); and how to develop and evaluate habit-based behaviour change interventions (9 questions). / Conclusions: While our questions transcend research contexts, accumulating knowledge across studies of specific health behaviours, settings, and populations will build a broader understanding of habit change principles and how they may be embedded into interventions. We encourage researchers and practitioners to prioritise these questions, to further theory and evidence around how to create long-lasting health behaviour change.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Developing habit-based health behaviour change interventions: twenty-one questions to guide future research |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/08870446.2021.2003362 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/08870446.2021.2003362 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Habit, automaticity, health behaviour, behaviour change, behaviour change techniques |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10139326 |
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