measured-response

Comparing two theories of health behavior: a prospective study of noncompletion of treatment following cervical cancer screening.

Health Psychol. 2006 Sep;25(5):604-15

Authors: Orbell S, Hagger M, Brown V, Tidy J

Some women receiving abnormal cervical screening tests do not complete recommended treatment. A prospective study (N = 660) investigated the value of conceptualizing attendance at colposcopy for treatment as either (a) an active problem-solving response to a health threat, motivated by attitudes toward an abnormal result, as implied by self-regulation theory (H. Leventhal, D. Meyer, & D. Nerenz, 1980); or (b) as a behavior motivated by attitudes toward clinic attendance, as implied by the theory of planned behavior (TPB; I. Ajzen, 1985). Responses to questionnaires containing variables specified by these models were used to predict women's subsequent attendance or nonattendance for treatment over the following 15 months. Although the TPB offered superior prediction of intentions and completion of treatment, discriminant function analyses showed that consideration of both models was important in distinguishing between those who attended all their appointments as scheduled, attended after being prompted, or ceased attending. Implications for measurement and theory in health protection are discussed.

PMID: 17014278 [PubMed - in process]

"When no means no": can reactance augment the theory of planned behavior?

Health Psychol. 2006 Sep;25(5):586-94

Authors: Orbell S, Hagger M

A longitudinal study examined women's clinic attendance for treatment and follow-up after having received an abnormal cervical screening result. Participants (N = 660) completed questionnaire measures of variables specified by the theory of planned behavior and J. Kuhl's (2000) measure of low volitional control--reactance--prior to receiving up to 3 subsequent appointments during the following 15 months. The theory of planned behavior was capable of predicting persistent attendance and discriminated women who kept all of their scheduled appointments from those who dropped out from treatment. Consideration of reactance enhanced prediction of behavior and discriminated between women who delayed appointment keeping and women who ceased attending.

PMID: 17014276 [PubMed - in process]

An implementation intentions intervention to increase uptake of mammography.

Ann Behav Med. 2006 Oct;32(2):127-34

Authors: Rutter DR, Steadman L, Quine L

Background and Purpose: This study tested an implementation intentions intervention to increase uptake in the United Kingdom's National Health Service Breast Screening Programme. The intervention asked women to plan how they would overcome up to 3 previously identified barriers to attending. Methods: In a randomized controlled trial, 2,082 participants were allocated to an intervention condition, an assessment-only condition, or a nonassessment control condition. The intervention condition was designed to help women plan how to change their appointment, how to arrange transport, and how to negotiate time off work. The assessment-only condition controlled for the possibility that completing a questionnaire about mammography might in itself influence attendance, and the nonassessment condition was a control against any effect on attendance that mere contact with the research team might have. Results: Mean age of respondents was 56.1 years, and 99.4% were White British. In the full intention-to-treat analysis, which included all participants, attendance was found to be almost identical across the 3 conditions, around 80%. Some of the women in the intervention condition, however, failed to write their plans on the questionnaire (10.6% for changing the appointment, 2.1% for travel arrangements, and 21.1% for taking time off work) or said that planning was irrelevant to them (2.4% for changing the appointment, 1.7% for travel arrangements, and 32.4% for taking time off work). A second analysis, of planning time off work, therefore, examined the 620 respondents in the intervention condition more closely and found that those who planned were significantly more likely to attend than those who did not. A 3rd analysis, excluding the 209 respondents for whom planning time off work was irrelevant, revealed that the most likely to plan were those whose initial intentions to attend were strong but whose perceptions of control over making the necessary arrangements to attend were weak. Conclusions: Two main implications of the findings are discussed: the importance of planning in implementation intentions interventions and the validity of the theoretical distinction between motivation and volition.

PMID: 16972810 [PubMed - in process]

Related Articles

Complex prospective memory in children with ADHD.

Child Neuropsychol. 2006 Dec;12(6):407-19

Authors: Kliegel M, Ropeter A, Mackinlay R

The ability to remember intentions (prospective memory) is fundamental to the organization of goal-directed actions in everyday life. Successful prospective remembering involves forming, retaining, initiating, and executing an intention. Although previous research has demonstrated prospective memory impairments in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), this has largely focused on the intention initiation and execution stages. In this study, we investigate the performance of 20 children with ADHD and 20 matched controls at each of the four stages of prospective memory, using a computer multitask paradigm. Results suggest that children with ADHD may demonstrate difficulties forming delayed intentions, as indicated by impulsive planning, and that this may have further implications for the retention and implementation of these delayed intentions. While children with ADHD showed comparable multitask switching, this appeared to be at the expense of intention execution as they made more performance errors than controls. Implications for day-to-day functioning are discussed.

PMID: 16952887 [PubMed - in process]

Social desirability is associated with some physical activity, psychosocial variables and sedentary behavior but not self-reported physical activity among adolescent males.

Health Educ Res. 2006 Sep 20;

Authors: Jago R, Baranowski T, Baranowski JC, Cullen KW, Thompson DI

This study examined whether controlling for social desirability improved the association between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity among adolescent males and the extent that psychosocial variables predict physical activity after controlling for social desirability. Participants (n = 447) were 10- to 14-year old Houston Boy Scouts. Participants completed self-reports of physical activity, sedentary behavior, preferences, self-efficacy and social desirability and wore an MTI accelerometer for 3 days. Correlations were conducted among variables. Regression models were performed to examine the relationships between objectively measured (accelerometer) and self-reported physical activity, objectively measured physical activity and psychosocial variables and self-reports of physical activity and psychosocial variables. All models controlled for social desirability. There were weak associations between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity measures that were slightly improved after controlling for social desirability. Psychosocial variables were strongly associated with self-reports of physical activity, but weakly associated with accelerometer physical activity. Social desirability was positively associated with physical activity preferences (r = 0.169) and self-efficacy (r = 0.118) and negatively associated (r = -0.158) with self-reported sedentary behavior. Differences in the strength of relationships between self-reported and objectively measured physical activity and psychosocial variables were not a function of social desirability.

PMID: 16987942 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Related Articles

Crisis and chaos in behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2006;3:27

Authors: Baranowski T

ABSTRACT: Resnicow & Vaughn challenged the field of behavioral nutrition and physical activity to conduct research in new ways. They challenged the predictiveness of our models, sensitivity to initial conditions, factors predisposing to change and measurement procedures. While the predictiveness of our models will reflect the sophistication of our thinking and research, and the sensitivity to initial conditions is subsumed under the sophistication of our models, research on conditions predisposing to change (e.g. epiphanies), more longitudinal designs, refined measurement procedures and testing of critical issues can only enhance the quality of our research. Improved research quality should lead to enhanced efficacy and effectiveness of our interventions, and thereby our making meaningful contributions to mitigating the chaos in our field and the crisis from the rising epidemic of obesity.

PMID: 16972998 [PubMed - in process]

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