Mechanisms of physical activity behavior change in an incentive-based intervention: Mediation analysis.

Abstract

Objective: The Physical Activity Loyalty (PAL) scheme was a cluster randomized controlled trial of a 6-month complex intervention targeting workplace physical activity. Financial incentives were incorporated in an evidence-based behavior change programme, including self-regulation techniques. This article examines shortterm (<six months) and long-term (≥six months) mediation effects on physical activity. Methods: Participants included 853 adults (457 intervention, 396 control). Physical activity was objectivelyassessed using pedometers at baseline and at six and 12 months. Hypothesized short-term mediators (e.g. selfefficacy, intentions) were assessed at baseline and 4 weeks. Hypothesized long-term mediators (e.g. habit, intrinsic motivation) were assessed at baseline and 6 months. Mediation models employed the structural equation modelling product-of-coefficients approach. Results: Intervention participants experienced significant decreases in 6-month pedometer steps/day versus controls (b =-336, p = 0.02), which were partially mitigated by positive indirect effects through 6-month integrated regulation (ab = 94.7, 95% CI: 18.7, 204.4), intrinsic motivation (ab = 59.0, 95% CI: 3.09, 154.5) and habit (ab = 198.7, 95% CI: 84.3, 369.9). There were no between-group differences in 12-month pedometer steps/day but positive indirect effects through 6-month integrated regulation (ab = 128.0, 95% CI: 27.3, 313.2), planning (ab = 115.0, 95% CI: 3.71, 285.5) and habit (ab = 153.3, 95% CI: 39.3, 333.1). Conclusions: Most examined mediators were non-significant and mediation analyses did not explain decreases in physical activity for interventions versus controls. Results show that, contrary to self-determination theory hypotheses, intrinsic motivation is not necessarily adversely impacted if financial incentives are embedded in a complex intervention.

Testing motivational and self-regulatory mechanisms of action on device-measured physical activity in the context of a weight loss maintenance digital intervention: A secondary analysis of the NoHoW trial

“…Indeed, findings from a meta-analysis of SDT-based interventions in health behavior change provided significant but small effect of SDT variables on health behaviors (Sheeran et al, 2020). For instance, Murray and colleagues (Murray et al, 2020) found effectiveness of a behavioral intervention on targeted mediators but these changes were not translated in increases in device-measured PA behavior (however in this case using a Yamax Digitwalker CW-701 pedometer). Also, Sebire et al (2011) found limited predictive capacity of a simpler SDT based mediation model on device measured MVPA minutes (R 2 = 0.07).…”

“…To this end, digitally enabled psycho-social assessments are predicted to be innovative in the field of human behavior change (Arigo et al, 2019;Wadden et al, 2020), and they may overcome some limitations of the classical timepoint specific intervention studies. Digital technologies enable collection of information from participants more often and are not strictly fixed to specific time points of assessment (continuously for six months) (Murray et al, 2020;Scholz, 2019;Sniehotta, Presseau, & Araújo-Soares, 2014). Furthermore, digitally enabled assessments may reduce participant burden with briefer and shorter scales.…”

Mechanisms of Behavior Change for a Digital Resistance Training Intervention: A Mediation Study

“…In these analyses, each variable was coded with a change score, such that positive changes indicated high scores on assessed variables. Criteria for mediation included significant intervention effects on the mediator, significant associations between the mediator and the dependent variable (i.e., RT), and a significant effect of the intervention on RT through the mediator (25). Effects were estimated using structural equation modeling in which models tested the pathways between changes in the constructs and treatment (a path) and changes in the constructs and changes in behavior (b path).…”

Self-Determination Theory in HCI Games Research: Current Uses and Open Questions

“…Identification is hence distinguished from integrated regulation, the most autonomous form of extrinsic motivation, which manifests in fully self-congruent and reflectively valued behaviours. Crucially, studies that examine identified and integrated regulations alongside intrinsic motivation [79,352,379,509] suggest that both forms of autonomous motivation predict beneficial psychosocial outcomes [e.g., lower anxiety; 509] and behaviours [e.g., engagement ; 352]. Initially, SDT research measured internalisation by constructing a Relative Autonomy Index [216], which "approximates an individual's position along the underlying continuum of self-determination" [254, p. 536] using weighted self-report data.…”