A further look into compensatory health beliefs: A think aloud study

Abstract

What is already known on this subject? Although the idea that people use compensatory health beliefs as a strategy to continue engaging in unhealthy behaviours is an appealing one, attempts to measure compensatory health beliefs has produced mixed findings (see Kaklamanou & Armitage, ; Knäuper et al., ; Nooijer, Puijk-Hekman, & Assema, ; Radtke et al., ). What does this study add? The present study, using a 'think aloud technique', suggests ways to improve reliability of the compensatory health beliefs scale. We suggest that three sub-strategies underpin the 'activate Compensatory Health Beliefs' strategy. We propose a new construct that we call 'compensatory health behaviours'.

Reflecting on non‐reflective action: An exploratory think‐aloud study of self‐report habit measures

“…Nonetheless, findings point to the potential for comprehension and recall problems to compromise habit strength estimates. Some identified problems are generic to social cognition questionnaire completion, such as misinterpreting items to relate to others and not oneself (e.g., Kaklamanou et al ., 2013), and may perhaps be addressed through clearer instructions to participants. Others reveal problems inherent to habit indices and may necessitate methodological and conceptual refinements.…”

“…Each verbal item response was treated as a unitary ‘segment’, so generating 1,440 potentially codeable segments (72 items × 20 participants). The purpose of the analysis was to identify ‘problem segments’ – that is, responses suggesting interpretation difficulties, biased responding, or dissatisfaction with items (Kaklamanou et al ., 2013) – and categories of ‘problem types’ into which these could be sorted. A coding frame of problem types, adapted from previous studies (Darker & French, 2009; French et al ., 2007; Kaklamanou et al ., 2013), was applied and iteratively refined to capture the content of all problem segments.…”

“…Recent applications of the ‘think-aloud’ method have highlighted its sensitivity to problems specific to the measures under study, such as misinterpretations and inconsistencies between respondents’ interpretations and their recorded responses, which may compromise reliability and validity (Darker & French, 2009; French et al ., 2007; Kaklamanou, Armitage, & Jones, 2013). Findings can offer an empirical basis for refining measures, or highlight areas for consideration when applying them (Kaklamanou et al ., 2013). ‘Think-aloud’ methods have not been used to examine habit self-reports, but may prove fruitful in documenting problems in participants’ comprehension of habit indices.…”

How do people with mood and anxiety disorders perceive and interpret the Drinking Motives Questionnaire? A think-aloud study in a clinical setting

“…The think-aloud method has been used to investigate self-report questionnaires and is also recommended for cognitive pre-testing of survey questions [11–16, 18]. Findings can be used to refine measures or highlight areas for consideration when applying them [19]. …”

'Enjoy a delicious cake today and eat healthily tomorrow': Compensatory Health Beliefs and their impact on health

“…Another key question that deserves future attention is the investigation whether there is a difference between beliefs of compensatory health behaviour and the execution of them, because CHBs are first and foremost a cognitive strategy ('belief') and need to be differentiated from compensatory behaviour. First results of Kaklamanou, Armitage, and Jones (2012) yielded evidence for the assumption that individuals distinguish between the belief and the behaviour. This means that individuals on the one hand behave in a way that is consistent with the CHBs, but on the other hand do not really believe in the compensational effect.…”