Netherlands Research programme weight Gain prevention (NHF-NRG): rationale, objectives and strategies

Abstract

Objective: To outline the rationale, objectives and strategies used in a systematically designed research programmme to study specific weight gain-inducing behaviours, their social-psychological as well as environmental determinants, and the effects of interventions aimed at the prevention of weight gain. Design: The evidence for potential behavioural determinants and strategies to prevent weight gain was reviewed, and the methods applied within the Netherlands Research programme weight gain prevention (NHF-NRG) project were described. The project is designed according to the Intervention Mapping protocol. Conclusions: Based on the few interventions that were evaluated to date, no robust conclusions can be drawn regarding the effectiveness of obesity prevention. The systematic and multidisciplinary design of the NHF-NRG programme enables the identification of potentially effective methods and strategies for the prevention of weight gain.

Modeling Individual and Physical Environmental Factors with Adolescent Physical Activity

“…47 Yet, research indicates limited and selective information processing when behavior is guided by strong habits rather than intentions 46 and suggests the necessity of additional strategies be- yond merely providing information. 48 Although using past behavior as a measure of habit strength has been criticized by Ajzen, 49 Verplanken and Orbell 44 have argued that habit is a psychological construct rather than mere past behavioral frequency and have developed a script-based measure of habit to stimulate further development of habit research and theory. Empirical evidence of this measure in determinant studies of adolescent PA is lacking, but because these results indicated that intention did not significantly influence PA, one may question the tenet that adolescent physical activity is largely explained by their personal motivation.…”

“…Future studies on physical activity determinants need to extend beyond behavioral sciences alone 54 and include environmental factors and social-cognitive factors in a single study. 17,48 Moreover, social-cognitive factors should be used to test and explain the relationship between the physical environment and physical activity.…”

Tailored eHealth Lifestyle Promotion: Which Behavioral Modules Do Users Prefer?

“…Offering respondents a choice of the behavior they prefer to focus on may favorably influence success rates in terms of health behavior change (Kremers et al, 2005). To inform intervention developers, it is important to examine the role of preferred and nonpreferred lifestyle options.…”

Physical Activity for an Aging Population

“…73 Information technologies thus represent an increasingly pervasive and promising method for delivering health services and support, 74 including preventive health services, to them. 75 The globalization of population-wide mobile phone use in developing as well as industrialized nations promises to extend the potential reach of such communication platforms even further. 76 An additional facet of the "bottom up" research approach involves the explicit evaluation of the person by environment interactions in order to gain a more thorough understanding of the potential moderating effects of built and social environments on physical activity change.…”