Influence of a Planning Intervention on Physical Activity Behavior: the Moderating Role of Intentions and Executive Functions in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background Planning and executive functions (EFs; inhibition, updating, shifting) are self-regulatory variables that help people to become and stay physically active. The aim of this study was to examine how and for whom a planning intervention affects physical activity (PA) behavior in the short term. Therefore, the mediating role of planning and the moderating role of intentions and EFs for the planning–behavior link were examined. Method In a randomized control trial with two treatment groups (planning group vs. control group) and two points of measurement (t1 and t2, 1 week apart), n = 200 students participated in both measurements. At t1, participants filled in standardized questionnaires assessing PA behavior, intention, and planning. Computer-based tests assessed the following EFs: inhibition, updating, and shifting. At t2, planning and PA behavior were measured again. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted. Results A significant increase in PA between t1 and t2 was found for the planning group compared with the control group. Furthermore, planning cognitions significantly mediated the effect of the planning group on behavior and intention, as well as the EF updating moderated the association between planning and behavior. Forming plans was particularly beneficial for participants with high intentions and lower updating performance. Conclusion Planning enhances PA behavior, particularly when PA intention is high. Poor performance in updating can be compensated by planning since encouraging people to generate plans might facilitate automatic enactment of the behavior.

Effectiveness, Moderators and Mediators of Self-regulation Intervention on Older Adults’ Exercise Behavior: a Randomized, Controlled Crossover Trial

“…This would lead to sampling bias. Intention strength might not have been an important confounder and moderator of the intervention for this study, unlike other intervention-based studies (e.g., Pfeffer and Strobach [ 72 ]). The Health Action Process Approach [ 11 ] proposes that promoting planning (one strategy of self-regulation) is important when intentions are formed.…”

Not just for your health alone: Regular exercisers’ decision-making in unrelated domains.

“…Third, our theorizing puts forward a mechanism that cannot be blanketly applied to any activity. Not all activities—like hobbies and enjoyable pastimes (e.g., solving crosswords), flow activities (e.g., fishing), or habitual activities (e.g., reading the news)—are likely to activate the same set of planning cognitions (Pfeffer & Strobach, 2020) in combination with the embodiment of choices in the physical activity (Raab, 2020). We argue that RPA is distinct from other learning or cognitive training activities exactly because the cognitive skills are not independent of the motor performance but can actually be enhanced by it (Heisz et al, 2017; Kontra et al, 2015; Liu et al, 2017).…”

“…You repeatedly have to engage in planning, action control, and goal shielding (Sniehotta et al, 2005), which includes inhibiting distractors and concentrating on goal-relevant aspects. Overall, such planning-related cognitions involve action plans and coping plans (Pfeffer & Strobach, 2020). Action plans are task-facilitating cognitions that help to enact a specific behavior (e.g., making entries in one’s calendar for jogging during the upcoming weekend mornings).…”

Using Novel Approaches to Evaluate Behavioral Interventions: Overlooked Significant HIV Prevention Effects in the HPTN 015 Project EXPLORE

“…Previous behavioral intervention studies have demonstrated similar moderated indirect effects (moderated mediation), including in both HIV-related and non-HIVrelated interventions. [9][10][11][12][13][14] For example, in one study, an injection risk reduction intervention for women in sex work who inject drugs demonstrated reductions in receptive needle sharing through improvements in safer injecting self-efficacy (ie, the mediator), particularly among women who reported police confiscation of syringes (ie, the moderator). 9 In another example, a physical activity counseling intervention increased physical activity through improved motivation (ie, the mediator), particularly among participants who had higher baseline selfdetermined physical activity motivation (ie, the moderator).…”