scholarly journals The development and evaluation of a web-based well-being intervention, for inclusion within an existing health promotion programme, to support and encourage health related lifestyle behaviour change

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Menna Brown

Unhealthy lifestyle behaviours constitute a significant burden of disease, globally. Web-based interventions offer a means to support individuals in adopting and maintaining positive healthy lifestyle behaviours to address and reduce this issue. The health behaviour change literature offers several useful theoretical models which aim to explain or predict the likelihood of successful, individual level, lifestyle behaviour change. Indeed, research findings have shown that digital health interventions informed by these models are more likely to be effective. However, in practice adherence and engagement to web-delivered interventions is often critically low and is associated with reduced effectiveness and cost effectiveness. This thesis developed an emotional well-being intervention (ACTivate your Well-being), for inclusion within an existing lifestyle behaviour change programme ‘Champions for Health’. Thirty-eight anticipated end-users and six stakeholders contributed to a three-staged Participatory Design project which led to the development of a twelve-week intervention, based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and a new study website. Development was informed by two systematic literature reviews. Feasibility and acceptability were proven in a cluster randomised control trial (ISRCTN50074817) which recruited 142 participants. The majority (74%) enrolled on at least one lifestyle behaviour change module and health improvements were observed. Almost half (43%) of those randomised to the intervention arm enrolled onto the well-being intervention. Adherence was low (7%), no one completed the full 12-week programme. A randomised control trial (ISRCTN18190978) then evaluated impact on health behaviour change, adherence and engagement, and well-being. 182 participants were recruited. Adherence remained poor (4%) however some completed the full 12-week programme. Almost half (49%) enrolled on a lifestyle behaviour change module and health improvements were observed in three modules. COVID-19 limited evaluation. The ongoing relevance of the intervention and website is evidenced through its inclusion within the Well-being In work – In work support service, Swansea Bay University Health Board.

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ersen B Colkesen ◽  
Maurice AJ Niessen ◽  
Niels Peek ◽  
Sandra Vosbergen ◽  
Roderik A Kraaijenhagen ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Vitor Simões-Silva ◽  
Ana Filipa Duarte Mesquita ◽  
Karla Lígia Santos Da Silva ◽  
Vanessa Solange Arouca Quental ◽  
António Marques

In our modern life world, health and well-being strongly depend on the individual's health behaviours. Motivation is a major factor of health behaviour change, and intrinsically motivated behaviour change is desirable as it is both sustained and directly contributes to well-being. This raises the immediate question what kind of interventions are best positioned to intrinsically motivate health behaviour change. The current state of evidence supports that gamification can have a positive impact in health and wellbeing. In recent years, games and game technology have been used quite widely to investigate if they can help make rehabilitation more engaging for users. The underlying hypothesis is that the motivating qualities of games may be harnessed and embedded into a game-based rehabilitation system to improve the quality of user participation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-498
Author(s):  
Michelle D Sherman ◽  
Stephanie A Hooker

Abstract Background Approximately 40% of deaths in the USA are attributable to modifiable health behaviours. Despite clear recommendations and practice guidelines, primary care physicians (PCPs) generally do not dedicate much time to addressing health behaviours, thereby missing opportunities to improve patient well-being. Objective(s) To examine what health behaviour change techniques PCPs use with their patients, including frequency of use, confidence in and perceived effectiveness of those interventions. Methods Using a cross-sectional study design, family medicine resident and faculty physicians (n = 68) from three residency training programs completed an anonymous online survey. Questions explored their use of, confidence in and perceived effectiveness of health behaviour change interventions for six domains: physical activity, healthy eating, medication adherence, smoking cessation, sleep and alcohol reduction. Qualitative responses to open-ended questions were double coded by two independent raters. PCPs’ open-ended responses to questions regarding specific intervention techniques were coded using an evidence-based behaviour change taxonomy. Results Although PCPs indicated that they address health behaviour topics quite frequently with their patients, they reported only moderate confidence and low-to-moderate perceived effectiveness with their interventions. The most frequently cited technique was providing instruction (telling patients what to do). PCPs reported lowest frequency of addressing, lowest confidence and lowest effectiveness regarding helping patients decrease their use of alcohol. Insufficient time and perceived low patient motivation were commonly cited barriers. Conclusion These findings highlight the need for the development and evaluation of educational curricula to teach physicians brief, evidence-based approaches to helping patients make these changes in their health-related behaviours.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026988112110085
Author(s):  
Pedro J Teixeira ◽  
Matthew W Johnson ◽  
Christopher Timmermann ◽  
Rosalind Watts ◽  
David Erritzoe ◽  
...  

Healthful behaviours such as maintaining a balanced diet, being physically active and refraining from smoking have major impacts on the risk of developing cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other serious conditions. The burden of the so-called ‘lifestyle diseases’—in personal suffering, premature mortality and public health costs—is considerable. Consequently, interventions designed to promote healthy behaviours are increasingly being studied, e.g., using psychobiological models of behavioural regulation and change. In this article, we explore the notion that psychedelic substances such as psilocybin could be used to assist in promoting positive lifestyle change conducive to good overall health. Psilocybin has a low toxicity, is non-addictive and has been shown to predict favourable changes in patients with depression, anxiety and other conditions marked by rigid behavioural patterns, including substance (mis)use. While it is still early days for modern psychedelic science, research is advancing fast and results are promising. Here we describe psychedelics’ proposed mechanisms of action and research findings pertinent to health behaviour change science, hoping to generate discussion and new research hypotheses linking the two areas. Therapeutic models including psychedelic experiences and common behaviour change methods (e.g., Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Motivational Interviewing) are already being tested for addiction and eating disorders. We believe this research may soon be extended to help promote improved diet, exercise, nature exposure and also mindfulness or stress reduction practices, all of which can contribute to physical and psychological health and well-being.


2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (5) ◽  
pp. 759-781 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kreetta Maaria Askola ◽  
Helena Känsäkoski ◽  
Maija-Leena Huotari

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to increase understanding of the role of information and knowledge in the context of health behaviour change. Design/methodology/approach – As internet use in Finland is among the highest in Europe, two Finnish web-based weight management services were analysed regarding their weight maintenance information by using a theoretical approach constructed for the purpose. The approach combines the elements of web-based weight maintenance information and the typologies of knowing and actional information. The approach was tested by examining the services deductively with theory-based content analysis. Findings – The approach indicated differences between the profiles of the two analysed information environments, which focus on factual and tailored information and their relation to pragmatic, provisional and contested knowing and the initiation, maintenance and recovery of actional information. Both services support weight maintenance; the other slightly more due to its rich social features. Research limitations/implications – The examination was focused on the free content of two Finnish weight management services. Further research should include the role of socially interactive information and further testing of the approach with more services. Practical implications – The proposed approach sheds light on the relationship between the types of weight maintenance information and the dimensions of the typologies of knowing and actional information. The approach has the potential to be applied when designing the information environment of new web-based weight management services. Social implications – The approach has potential to be applied when designing the information content of new web-based weight management services to support health behaviour change. The approach could be elaborated further by focusing on enabling social support required in long-term weight maintenance. Originality/value – The study adopted a novel approach to studying typologies of knowing and actional information, thus providing new viewpoints in both information behaviour and organisational knowledge. The study enables further research on weight maintenance information use by proposing a theoretical background.


2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 336-345
Author(s):  
Rabia Ruby Patel ◽  
Tanya Monique Graham

This article examines the South African government’s response to COVID-19 by exploring the strong emphasis that has been placed on South Africans taking personal responsibility for good health outcomes. This emphasis is based on the principles of the traditional Health Belief Model which is a commonly used model in global health systems. More recently, there has been a drive towards other health behaviour change models, like the COM-B model and Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW); nonetheless, these remain entrenched within the principles of individual health responsibility. However, the South African experience with the HIV epidemic serves as a backdrop to demonstrate that holding people personally accountable for health behaviour changes has major pitfalls; health risk is never objective and does not take place outside of subjective experience. This article makes the argument that risk-taking health behaviour change in the South African context has to consider community empowerment and capacity building.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiro Takao ◽  
Naoki Sumi ◽  
Yoshiyuki Yamanaka ◽  
Sohachi Fujimoto ◽  
Tomoari Kamada

Abstract Background Psychological well-being has been associated with reduced mortality rates in both healthy and diseased populations. However, there is considerably less evidence on the effect of lifestyle behaviours on positive health outcomes such as well-being. This study examines the association between lifestyle behaviours and optimal well-being. Methods From a total of 4324 Japanese individuals who participated in an annual health check-up in 2017, this study recruited 2295 participants (mean age: 49.3 ± 8.4 years; female: 54.3%) without a history of cerebrovascular, cardiovascular, or chronic renal disease and not on medication for hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidaemia. The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) scores were compared to self-reported scores on each of the following items: dietary habits, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, and sleep quality. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between optimal well-being (the top quartile of WHO-5 scores) and individual lifestyle behaviours. The association between change in dietary habits and physical activity from 2016 to 2017 and optimal well-being was also investigated. Results Good dietary habits and regular physical activity were associated with higher raw WHO-5 scores and were positively associated with optimal well-being after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and sleep quality. Raw WHO-5 scores were significantly higher in those who maintained good dietary and physical activity behaviours than in those who did not. Furthermore, maintaining regular physical activity for two years was positively associated with optimal well-being, after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, and sleep quality. Conclusion These results demonstrate that not only currently practising good dietary and physical activity behaviours but also maintaining such behaviours over time is associated with optimal well-being. Maintaining good lifestyle behaviours, particularly regarding physical activity, could potentially improve people’s well-being.


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