Behavior change techniques used to promote walking and cycling: A systematic review.

Abstract

Objective: Evidence on the effectiveness of walking and cycling interventions is mixed. This may be partly attributable to differences in intervention content, such as the cognitive and behavioral techniques (BCTs) used. Adopting a taxonomy of BCTs, this systematic review addressed two questions: (a) What are the behavior change techniques used in walking and cycling interventions targeted at adults? (b) What characterizes interventions that appear to be associated with changes in walking and cycling in adults? Method: Previous systematic reviews and updated database searches were used to identify controlled studies of individual-level walking and cycling interventions involving adults. Characteristics of intervention design, context, and methods were extracted in addition to outcomes. Intervention content was independently coded according to a 26-item taxonomy of BCTs. Results: Studies of 46 interventions met the inclusion criteria. Twenty-one reported a statistically significant effect on walking and cycling outcomes. Analysis revealed substantial heterogeneity in the vocabulary used to describe intervention content and the number of BCTs coded. “Prompt self-monitoring of behavior” and “prompt intention formation” were the most frequently coded BCTs. Conclusion: Future walking and cycling intervention studies should ensure that all aspects of the intervention are reported in detail. The findings lend support to the inclusion of self-monitoring and intention formation techniques in future walking and cycling intervention design, although further exploration of these and other BCTs is required. Further investigation of the interaction between BCTs and study design characteristics would also be desirable.

Predicting Outcomes from Engagement With Specific Components of an Internet-Based Physical Activity Intervention With Financial Incentives: Process Analysis of a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

“…This finding may indicate that when participants focused more on the scheme's self-monitoring and feedback aspects, this was associated with less of a decline in PA and is in line with the results of the study's mediation analyses which found planning and habit formation are important mediators [5]. Previous research also shows that self-regulation techniques and self-monitoring are useful strategies for PA behaviour change [34,[59][60][61][62][63] and one previous systematic review of web-based interventions also highlights that web-based self-monitoring is a potentially effective technique [64]. Redeeming a higher proportion of earned points for rewards was associated with slightly higher PA levels at six months.…”

A systematic review investigating the behaviour change strategies in interventions to prevent misuse of anabolic steroids

“…The theoretical basis of interventions were examined using the coding scheme developed by Taxonomy has been applied in systematic reviews to identify BCTs associated with effective approaches designed to influence a variety of behaviours including obesity management, physical activity, sexual health, alcohol use and cardiac rehabilitation (Martin et al, 2013;Burns et al, 2016;Heron et al, 2016;Prestwich et al, 2016;Bird et al, 2013) Findings were then compared and all disagreements were resolved through discussion between the two reviewers.…”

“…Taxonomy has been applied in systematic reviews to identify BCTs associated with effective approaches designed to influence a variety of behaviours including obesity management, physical activity, sexual health, alcohol use and cardiac rehabilitation (Martin et al, 2013;Burns et al, 2016;Heron et al, 2016;Prestwich et al, 2016;Bird et al, 2013). To help understand behaviour change strategies the Behaviour Change Wheel (Michie et al, 2011) was used to identify the behaviour change function(s) in each intervention.…”

The use of self-monitoring solutions amongst cyclists: An online survey and empirical study

“…Self-monitoring interventions have also been applied in the domain of physical activity. For example, a recent review on behaviour change techniques used to promote walking and cycling found that self-monitoring and intention formation were the most frequently coded behaviour change techniques for those two activities (Bird et al, 2013). There is also some evidence that they work -a study by Baker et al (2008) found that a pedometer-based self-monitoring walking program, incorporating a physical activity consultation, was effective in promoting walking and improving positive affect over 12 weeks in community based individuals.…”