Food cravings are associated with increased self-regulation, even in the face of strong instigation habits: A longitudinal study of the transition to plant-based eating.

Frequently engaging in a positive health behaviour, like following a vegetarian or vegan (veg*n) diet, can bring benefits to both the individual and society. We investigated the roles of two psychological determinants of behaviour-instigation habits and self-regulation strategy use-in a cohort of individuals who were newly transitioning to a veg*n diet. In a longitudinal study over 6 months (7 waves including baseline), 222 individuals transitioning to a veg*n diet reported their monthly habit strength, craving frequency, self-regulation strategies and animal product consumption.

Does messaging matter? A registered report on appearance-versus health-based message framing in exercise appeals targeted towards women.

Objective: Prospect theory proposes that message framing differentially impacts the likelihood of engaging in health-related behaviors. Specifically, gain-framed messages that highlight the benefits of engaging in a behavior are more effective at promoting preventative behaviors than loss-framed messages highlighting the costs associated with a lack of engagement. Research suggests that gain-framed messages may more successfully reduce psychological reactance compared to loss-framed messages, which in turn, may promote behavioral change.

A full-factorial test of motivational and volitional intervention strategies for promoting exercise habit formation and exercise maintenance among new users of an online exercise class platform.

Interventions often fail to achieve long-term behavioral maintenance. Utilizing motivational and volitional strategies to promote behavioral maintenance factors may improve this. Using a full-factorial experiment, we tested the effects of three intervention components (focused on intrinsic motivation and identity, exercise preparation habit, and exercise instigation habit) on exercise participation over a year, among new users (N = 751; 91% identifying as female, 54% identifying as White race) of a global, online exercise class platform, run by Les Mills International Ltd, called LM+.

Evaluating the impact of individuals' morningness-eveningness on the effectiveness of a habit-formation intervention for a simple and a complex behavior.

Planning-based interventions are often used to help individuals form habits. Existing literature suggests a one-size-fits all approach to habit formation, but planning interventions may be optimized if tailored to individual differences and/or behavioral complexity. We test the hypothesis that planning to do a relatively complex behaviour (exercise) at a time that matches an individuals' diurnal preference will facilitate behavioral engagement; whereas for a simpler behaviour (calcium supplementation), the optimal time-of-day for a new behavior will occur in the morning.

Some habits are more work than others: Deliberate self-regulation strategy use increases with behavioral complexity, even for established habits.

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that complex behaviors are commonly supported by self-regulation strategies, even when those behaviors are supported by strong instigation habits.

Background: Goal-directed and habit-mediated processes arise from separable systems that have been suggested to seldomly interact.

Results: Self-regulation strategy use was lower for habitually instigated simple behaviors compared to nonhabitually instigated simple behaviors.

Psychometric validation of four-item exercise identity and healthy-eater identity scales and applications in weight loss maintenance.

Background: Identifying as someone who engages in health promoting behaviors like healthy eating and exercising may be associated with sustained engagement in those behaviors, but reliable and valid instruments are needed to improve the rigor of this research. Two studies were conducted to (1) examine the psychometric properties of a four-item exerciser identity measure (4-EI) and an adapted healthy-eater identity measure (4-HEI) and (2) examine differences in identity strengths across categories of weight loss success.

Methods: Data from 1,709 community dwelling adults in the International Weight Control Registry (IWCR) were used.

Predicting implicit and explicit exercise identity from descriptive social norms regarding exercise.

Objectives: Exercise identity may promote exercise maintenance. However, less is known about factors that affect exercise identity. Whether descriptive social norms are potential intervention targets for identity development was evaluated.

Corrigendum: Evaluating behavior change factors over time for a simple vs. complex health behavior.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.

Evaluating behavior change factors over time for a simple vs. complex health behavior.

Background: Researchers are working to identify dynamic factors involved in the shift from behavioral initiation to maintenance-factors which may depend on behavioral complexity. We test hypotheses regarding changes in factors involved in behavioral initiation and maintenance and their relationships to behavioral frequency over time, for a simple (taking a supplement) vs. complex (exercise) behavior.

The utility of the integrated behavior change model as an extension of the theory of planned behavior.

Introduction: There are several widely used theories of health behavior change, which mostly utilize the social cognitive approach. These theories tend to posit that intention is a direct predictor of behavior, do not include automatic influences on behavior, and propose a one-size-fits-all theory for both initiators and maintainers. However, the intention-behavior gap is a well-observed phenomenon, researchers have highlighted that both automatic and reflective factors promote behavioral engagement, and predictors of behavior have been shown to differ between initiators and maintainers-three issues that necessitate theory advancement.

Developing Scotland's First Green Health Prescription Pathway: A One-Stop Shop for Nature-Based Intervention Referrals.

Introduction: Lifestyle modifications are part of comprehensive treatment plans to help manage the symptoms of pre-existing chronic conditions. However, behavior change is notoriously difficult as patients often lack the necessary support. The present manuscript outlines the development of a Green Health Prescription pathway that was designed to link patients with appropriate lifestyle interventions (i.

Contrasting constructs or continuum? Examining the dimensionality of body appreciation and body dissatisfaction.

Individuals experiencing body dissatisfaction have poorer health outcomes in part due to engaging in less physical activity. Body appreciation is protective of health behaviors and proposed to be conceptually different from body dissatisfaction. Two studies evaluated whether body appreciation and dissatisfaction represented two distinct dimensions, and whether body appreciation and dissatisfaction would interact in their effect on activity-related motivation and behavior.

Examining self-affirmation as a tactic for recruiting inactive women into exercise interventions.

Recruitment of insufficiently active individuals into exercise interventions is difficult due to many different barriers, including motivational barriers and negative body image. The present study provided an initial conceptual test of whether self-affirmation can help increase recruitment of insufficiently active women to an exercise intervention. Emerging adult women were randomly assigned to complete a self-affirmation or control task prior to reading the same message concerning the consequences of inactivity.

Source-Orientation and Avoidance/Approach-Orientation are Important Components of Introjected Regulation for Leisure-Time Physical Activity.

Introjected regulation has been inconsistently linked to physical activity, which may be due to it being an umbrella construct for different types of introjected regulation that have the potential to be differentially related to behavior. We evaluated (1) whether self-oriented approach, self-oriented avoidance, other-oriented approach, and other-oriented avoidance were distinct constructs from one another and from identified regulation, and (2) whether the following were related to physical activity engagement from strongest to weakest: self-oriented approach, self-oriented avoidance, other-oriented approach, and other-oriented avoidance. Behavioral regulations were measured at baseline, physical activity was measured via self-report at baseline and follow-up, and using daily diaries ( = 336).

The influence of body dissatisfaction on cardiovascular and strength-based physical activity by gender: a self-determination theory approach.

Unlabelled: Physical activity-or lack thereof-is one behaviour that may help explain why individuals who are dissatisfied with their bodies experience poor health outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the mediating role of behavioural regulations (i.e.

Experimental test of a planning intervention for forming a 'higher order' health-habit.

Habit-formation interventions may help individuals initiate and maintain behaviour change. This paper proposes and empirically tests the idea that it is possible for individuals to form 'higher-order habits', or behaviours that can be executed in more than one way, and still be habitual. Participants ( = 82) were healthy adults randomly assigned to an action-and-coping-planning intervention for forming a 'higher-order habit' of or a control condition.

Do measures of country-level safety predict individual-level health outcomes?

Unlabelled: Health is not only a result of biological conditions, but of psychological, economic, and social circumstances. Both proximal factors, which impact daily life, and distal factors, which are further removed from everyday life, can influence a person's wellbeing. However, traditionally these distal factors have been overlooked in public discourse and government policy.

Evaluating the potential roles of body dissatisfaction in exercise avoidance.

Body dissatisfaction is linked to poor physical health, even after actual markers of health have been controlled for. This link is likely due to body dissatisfaction influencing health behaviors-more specifically, cardiovascular exercise. Modifiable reasons for this link have yet to be determined.

An Updated Review of Interventions that Include Promotion of Physical Activity for Adult Men.

The marked disparity in life expectancy between men and women suggests men are a vulnerable group requiring targeted health promotion programs. As such, there is an increasing need for health promotion strategies that effectively engage men with their health and/or illness management. Programs that promote physical activity could significantly improve the health of men.