Techniques of Behaviour Change Flashcards
Define Health Behaviour
any activity undertaken by an individual believing himself/herself to be healthy, for the purpose of preventing disease or detecting it at an asymptomatic stage
What are the components of the behaviour change wheel (COM-B)
Motivation
Opportunity
Capability
What are the components/sources of behaviour of capability in the behaviour change wheel
Psychological component - E.g. healthy eating- do they know what healthy foods are?
Physical component - are they able to physically obtain these foods at the shops?
What are the components/sources of behaviour of opportunity in the behaviour change wheels
Physical – does the person have access to stores nearby that sells food
Social aspect – will their family and friends support them or laugh at them?
What are the components/sources of behaviour of Motivation in the behaviour change wheels
Automatic – i.e. what are their long-established eating habits? Do they have any underlying mental health disorders (e.g. depression) that will affect their goal (i.e. over-eating)
Reflective – what are their beliefs? (do they think eating healthy is important?)
What are the 4 most popular behaviour change techniques
Self-monitoring
Motivational interviewing
Implementation intentions
Incentives (positive reinforcement)
What is motivational interviewing (for behaviour change)
A person-centred counselling style for addressing the common problem of ambivalence (uncertainty) about change
What is self-monitoring (for behaviour change)
An individual keeping a record of target behaviours e.g. apps
Additional information recorded can help to identify barriers e.g. mood, weather
What is the disadvantage of self-monitoring
Time-consuming over the long term
Give an example of when self-monitoring is used in health
In bariatric patients: have a monitoring self-record (to control emotional eating) – told to record their emotions as well – this helps patients to identify their trigger times
What are implementation intentions (for behaviour change)
(i.e. Action Plans) Request an individual to think about critical situations to act and appropriate responses within those situations (‘If…, then…’)
E.g. IF it’s Friday morning at 9am THEN I will go for a run from my house around the park
How do implementation intentions for behaviour change work
By planning in advance the situation in which an individual will act, cues become particularly accessible
Strengthening connection between good situation to act and a desirable action
Therefore behaviour is more likely to be enacted
What are the advantages of Incentives (positive reinforcement) for behaviour change
Cost-effective
Raise awareness
Bring individuals into contact with health services allowing earlier screening and treatment of illness
Effective in changing behaviours, thus preventing disease and reducing costs associated with disease.
What are the disadvantages of Incentives (positive reinforcement) for behaviour change
Lack of generalization (only affects behaviour regarding the specific trait that is being rewarded).
Poor maintenance (rapid extinction of the desired behaviour once the reinforcer disappears)
Impractical and expensive
