techniques of behaviour change

Question 1

define health behaviour

Answer 1

Definition: 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

Question 2

what are the components of the behaviour change wheel

Answer 2

Capability
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?

Opportunity
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?

Motivation
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?)

Question 3

what are the techniques of behaviour change?
Give an example
Limitations?

Answer 3

4 most popular behaviour change techniques:
Self-monitoring
Motivational interviewing
Implementation intentions
Incentives (positive reinforcement)
E.g. iPads for chlamydia testing or helicopter ride for quitting smoking for 3 months

Limitations of reinforcement programmes
Lack of generalisation (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.

Question 4

define implantation intentions and give an example?

Answer 4

(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 they 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

Question 5

what is another technique of behaviour change?

Answer 5

Self-monitoring:
An individual keeping a record of target behaviours e.g. apps
Additional information recorded can help to identify barriers e.g. mood, weather
Time-consuming over the long term
E.g. 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