A matter of habit: Recognizing the multiple roles of habit in health behaviour

Health psychology is witnessing a resurgence of interest in the concept of habit (Verplanken, 2018). Habit can be defined as a process whereby a cue automatically triggers an impulse to act, based on cue–action associations learned through repeated performance; habitual behaviour refers to action generated by this process (Gardner, 2015). Habit impulses typically translate into action efficiently, potentially without intention, awareness, or control (Bargh, 1994), and can dominate over conscious motivation in regulating behaviour (Gardner, de Bruijn, & Lally, 2011). Much interest in habit stems from its behaviour change implications. If habit can override intentions, then habit formation may sustain health‐promoting behaviours over time, even when people lose motivation (Rothman, Sheeran, & Wood, 2009). Conversely, disrupting an unhealthy habitual behaviour may require strategies that address cue dependency (Lally & Gardner, 2013). The concept of habit disruption taps into current interest in non‐conscious routes to behaviour change (Sheeran, Gollwitzer, & Bargh, 2013): recognizing the habitual nature of an unhealthy behaviour can inform the adoption of change strategies based on modifying environmental stimuli, which can be more feasible and effective than promoting consciously mediated change (Marteau, Hollands, & Fletcher, 2012). // Much research has explored the influence of habit on a multitude of health behaviours, including hand hygiene, medication adherence, dietary consumption, physical activity, and sun protection (for a review, see Gardner, 2015). Such studies have implicitly addressed similar underlying research questions, which can broadly be summarized as: ‘To what extent could Behaviour X be determined by habit?’ If a behaviour is shown to be, or have the potential to be, habitually enacted, this will have important implications for behaviour modification. Interventions that support adoption of that behaviour might fruitfully promote context‐consistent performance so that cue–response associations may develop (Lally, Van Jaarsveld, Potts, & Wardle, 2010), while interventions that aim to discontinue habitual behaviour might focus on dismantling such associations or blocking their enactment (Lally & Gardner, 2013). In this editorial, however, we argue that a more comprehensive understanding of habitual action requires moving beyond asking only to what extent a behaviour may be habitual, and towards exploring which aspects of a behaviour could be regulated by habit

Physical activity and mental health; it is more than just a prescription

Most mental health and physical activity research describes unidirectional causes of physical activity on mental health, and as a result, a strong evidence base is being established for the effectiveness of physical activity as a treatment for mental health issues. Given that the efficacy of physical activity prescriptions are entirely reliant on individuals’ behavioral engagement, the aim of this special issue is to draw attention to translational evidence relevant to mental health and physical activity. This issue encompasses findings from a wide array of study designs (e.g., reviews, qualitative investigations, correlations studies, trial descriptions, pilot trial findings) of populations from high, middle, and low-income countries with clinical and non-clinical mental health issues. The evidence illustrates that people with mental health issues have unique facilitators and barriers to physical activity that are not accounted for within behavior change theories or interventions for the general population. Within this issue, you will find evidence of how mental health issues impact physical activity behavior change processes as well as examples of how context and person factors may moderate physical activity intervention efficacy amongst these populations. Informed by this evidence, we are calling for future research to investigate acceptability, maintenance, scalability, and generalizability of physical activity interventions for people with mental health issues. This future research will need to account for the unique barriers and facilitators of the population, be theoretically sound, apply to unique contexts, and adapt to dynamic change processes (including engagement and maintenance). © 2017 Elsevier Lt

Validity and responsiveness to change of the Active Australia Survey according to gender, age, BMI, education, and physical activity level and awareness

© 2019 The Author(s). Background: This study aimed to investigate the validity of the Active Australia Survey across different subgroups and its responsiveness to change, as few previous studies have examined this. Methods: The Active Australia Survey was validated against the ActiGraph as an objective measure of physical activity. Participants (n = 465) wore the ActiGraph for 7 days and subsequently completed the Active Australia Survey. Moderate activity, vigorous activity and total moderate and vigorous physical activity were compared using Spearman rank-order correlations. Changes in physical activity between baseline and 3-month assessments were correlated to examine responsiveness to change. The data were stratified to assess outcomes according to different subgroups (e.g., gender, age, weight, activity levels). Results: With regards to the validity, a significant correlation of ρ = 0.19 was found for moderate physical activity, ρ = 0.33 for vigorous physical activity and ρ = 0.23 for moderate and vigorous physical activity combined. For vigorous physical activity correlations were higher than 0.3 for most subgroups, whereas they were only higher than 0.3 in those with a healthy weight for the other activity outcomes. With regards to responsiveness to change, a correlation of ρ = 0.32 was found for moderate physical activity, ρ = 0.19 for vigorous physical activity and ρ = 0.35 for moderate and vigorous physical activity combined. For moderate and vigorous activity combined correlations were higher than 0.4 for several subgroups, but never for vigorous physical activity. Conclusions: Little evidence for the validity of Active Australia Survey was found, although the responsiveness to change was acceptable for several subgroups. Findings from studies using the Active Australia Survey should be interpreted with caution. Trial registration: World Health Organisation Universal Trial Number: U111-1119-1755. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000157976. Registration date: 8 March 2011

Associations between quality of life and duration and frequency of physical activity and sedentary behaviour: Baseline findings from the WALK 2.0 randomised controlled trial.

While physical and mental health benefits of regular physical activity are well known, increasing evidence suggests that limiting sedentary behaviour is also important for health. Evidence shows associations of physical activity and sedentary behaviour with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), however, these findings are based predominantly on duration measures of physical activity and sedentary behaviour (e.g., minutes/week), with less attention on frequency measures (e.g., number of bouts). We examined the association of HRQoL with physical activity and sedentary behaviour, using both continuous duration (average daily minutes) and frequency (average daily bouts≥10 min) measures. Baseline data from the WALK 2.0 trial were analysed. WALK 2.0 is a randomised controlled trial investigating the effects of Web 2.0 applications on engagement, retention, and subsequent physical activity change. Daily physical activity and sedentary behaviour (duration = average minutes, frequency = average number of bouts ≥10 minutes) were measured (ActiGraph GT3X) across one week, and HRQoL was assessed with the 'general health' subscale of the RAND 36-Item Health Survey. Structural equation modelling was used to evaluate associations. Participants (N = 504) were 50.8±13.1 (mean±SD) years old with a BMI of 29.3±6.0. The 465 participants with valid accelerometer data engaged in an average of 24.0±18.3 minutes and 0.64±0.74 bouts of moderate-vigorous physical activity per day, 535.2±83.8 minutes and 17.0±3.4 bouts of sedentary behaviour per day, and reported moderate-high general HRQoL (64.5±20.0). After adjusting for covariates, the duration measures of physical activity (path correlation = 0.294, p<0.05) and sedentary behaviour were related to general HRQoL (path coefficient = -0.217, p<0.05). The frequency measure of physical activity was also significant (path coefficient = -0.226, p<0.05) but the frequency of sedentary behaviour was not significantly associated with general HRQoL. Higher duration levels of physical activity in fewer bouts, and lower duration of sedentary behaviour are associated with better general HRQoL. Further prospective studies are required to investigate these associations in different population groups over time

Clusters of health behaviours in Queensland adults are associated with different socio-demographic characteristics.

Background: The co-occurrence of unhealthy lifestyles, calls for interventions that target multiple health behaviours. This study investigates the clustering of health behaviours and examines demographic differences between each cluster. Methods: In total, 934 adults from Queensland, Australia completed a cross-sectional survey assessing multiple health behaviours. A two-step hierarchical cluster analysis using multiple iterations identified the optimal number of clusters and the subset of distinguishing health behaviour variables. Univariate analyses of variance and chi-squared tests assessed difference in health behaviours by socio-demographic factors and clusters. Results: Three clusters were identified: the 'lower risk' cluster (n = 436) reported the healthiest profile and met all public health guidelines. The 'elevated risk' cluster (n = 105) reported a range of unhealthy behaviours such as excessive alcohol consumption, sitting time, fast-food consumption, smoking, inactivity and a lack of fruit and vegetables. The 'moderate risk behaviour' cluster (n = 393) demonstrated some unhealthy behaviours with low physical activity levels and poor dietary outcomes. The 'elevated risk' cluster were significantly younger and more socio-economically disadvantaged than both the 'lower and moderate risk' clusters. Discussion: Younger people who live in more deprived areas were largely within the 'elevated risk' cluster and represent an important population for MHBC interventions given their wide range of unhealthy behaviours

Tea from the drinking to the synthesis of metal complexes and fabrication of PVA based polymer composites with controlled optical band gap

In the present study black tea extract (BTE) solution which is familiar for drinking was used to prepare cerium metal-complexes (Ce(III)-complex). The prepared Ce(III)-complex was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The results indicate that BTE solution is a novel green coordination chemistry approach for the synthesis of metal complexes. The outcomes signify that coordination occurs between cerium cations and polyphenols. The synthesis of metal-complexes with superior absorption performance in the visible region is a challenge for optoelectronic device applications. The suspended Ce(III)-complex in distilled water was mixed with poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer to fabricate PVA/ Ce(III)-complex composites with controlled optical properties. The PVA/Ce(III)-complexes composite films were characterized by FTIR, XRD, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The XRD findings confirms the amorphous structure for the synthesized Ce(III)-complexes. The addition of Ce(III)-complex into the PVA host polymer led to the growth of polymer composites with controllable small optical band gaps. It is shown by the FTIR spectra of the composite films that the functional groups of the host PVA have a vigorous interaction with the Ce(III)-complex. The XRD deconvolution on PVA composites reveals the amorphous phase enlargement with increasing Ce(III)-complex concentration. It is indicated in the atomic force microscopy (AFM) that the surface roughness in the doped PVA films increases with the increase of the Ce(III)-complex. There is a decrease in absorption edge from 5.7 to 1.7 eV. It becomes possible to recognize the type of electron transition by studying both the Tauc's model and optical dielectric loss (ɛi) parameter

Chapter 11 Families and physical health

This chapter focuses on the physical health of families. The components of physical health discussed in this chapter include diet and nutrition, physical activity, sleep patterns, medical self-care, smoking as well as alcohol and drugs. Family members’ health behaviors (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, eating, exercise, and sleep) show more similarity than would be expected by chance. An individuals’ quality of life (QoL) is closely related to the QoL of those around them, be it their spouse, children, or parents. As a result, any kind of chronic sickness present within the family has the potential to affect the lives of the other members. Health problems in any family member were associated with a high incidence of mental health issues in other family members. Involvement of families can be effective in health promotion programs

Bone Marrow Transplantation Restores Follicular Maturation and Steroid Hormones Production in a Mouse Model for Primary Ovarian Failure

Recent studies suggest that bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) are promising grafts to treat a variety of diseases, including reproductive dysfunction. Primary ovarian failure is characterized by amenorrhea and infertility in a normal karyotype female, with an elevated serum level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and a decrease level of estrogen caused by a mutation in FSH receptor (FSHR) gene. Currently, there is no effective treatment for this condition. The phenotype of FSHR (−/−) mouse, FORKO (follitropin receptor knockout), is a suitable model to study ovarian failure in humans. Female FORKO mice have elevated FSH, decreased estrogen levels, are sterile because of the absence of folliculogenesis, and display thin uteri and small nonfunctional ovaries. In this study, we determined the effects of BMSC transplantation on reproductive physiology in this animal model. Twenty four hours post BMSC transplantation, treated animals showed detectable estroidogeneic changes in daily vaginal smear. Significant increase in total body weight and reproductive organs was observed in treated animals. Hemotoxylin and eosin (H&E) evaluation of the ovaries demonstrated significant increase in both the maturation and the total number of the follicles in treated animals. The FSH dropped to 40–50% and estrogen increased 4–5.5 times in the serum of treated animals compared to controls. The FSHR mRNA was detected in the ovaries of treated animals. Our results show that intravenously injected BMSCs were able to reach the ovaries of FORKO mice, differentiate and express FHSR gene, make FSHR responsive to FSH, resume estrogen hormone production, and restore folliculogenesis

In-lecture learning motivation predicts students’ motivation, intention, and behaviour for after-lecture learning: Examining the trans-contextual model across universities from UK, China, and Pakistan

This paper presents a cross-cultural examination of the trans-contextual model in University education setting. The purpose of the study was to test the effect of students’ perceived autonomy support and in-lecture learning motivation on motivation, intention, and behaviour with respect to after-lecture learning via the mediation of the social cognitive variables: attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control. University students from UK, China, and Pakistan completed the questionnaires of the study variables. Results revealed that in-lecture perceived autonomy support and autonomous motivation were positively associated with autonomous motivation and intention to engage in after-lecture learning activities via the mediation of the social cognitive variables in all samples. After controlling for the effect of past behaviour, relations between intention and behaviour were only observed in the Chinese sample. In conclusion, the trans-contextual model can be applied to University education, but cultural differences appear to moderate the predictive power of the model, particularly for the intention-behaviour relationship