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This study explored whether exposure to either an 'ambiguous consumption' prototype (no amount of alcohol specified) or a 'small consumption' prototype ('small' amount of alcohol specified) had an impact on prototype perceptions of, and willingness to use, small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy.Participants were 140 women living in the UK, aged 20-45 years old, of whom 92% had previously been, or intended to become, pregnant. Participants completed measures to assess how favourably they viewed alcohol use in pregnancy, how similar they felt to those who would use alcohol in pregnancy and how responsible they perceived those who would use alcohol in pregnancy to be. Participant's own willingness to use small amounts of alcohol during pregnancy was also assessed.Having at least one child was positively correlated with being willing to accept an alcoholic drink while pregnant for those exposed to the 'ambiguous consumption' prototype only. Although perceptions of favourability, similarity and responsibility were consistently higher for those exposed to a 'small consumption' condition, there were no differences in willingness to drink according to exposure.This research suggests that women's perceptions of those who drink alcohol while pregnant differ according to the amount of alcohol that they perceive as typical. This may have implications for how alcohol use in pregnancy is portrayed in public health messaging, particularly regarding the level of acceptance that may be associated with low to moderate alcohol use.

The effectiveness of the tailored feedback in digital interventions may be limited by the quality of the dietary assessment (DA) upon which it is based. The present study systematically reviewed studies reporting the protocols for DA methods used to inform tailored feedback in digital weight loss interventions. The search included: PubMed-National Library of Medicine database, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews, Web of Science and ProQuest. Search terms were related to five groups: dietary assessment, weight loss, clinical trials, technology and tailoring. Thirteen articles were eligible for inclusion. The most common DA method was a digital dietary record linked to a food database that provided instant feedback on daily energy intake. Only four studies provided feedback on overall diet quality and intake of fruit, vegetables and fibre. Dietary feedback was provided using text messages, email, mobile applications and online intervention websites. Most digital dietary feedback focused on reducing energy intake without providing feedback to enhance diet quality. This review highlighted the heterogeneity in DA methods used in tailored weight loss interventions, which may account for the range of outcome results reported. Future interventions should publish the protocols describing how dietary data was collected and used to inform dietary feedback.

PurposeThe prevalence of foodborne illness remains high in Australia. In response, government initiatives have been implemented to inform consumers of ways to safely handle food. The aim of this study was to examine the accuracy of prompted and unprompted recall of messages from a safe food-handling media campaign in Western Australia, and whether this accuracy of prompted and unprompted recall differed by demographic factors and the mode of delivery of the campaign materials.Design/methodology/approachSurvey responses from 121 participants (Mage = 47.15 years, SD = 15.52) who reported seeing or hearing the campaign were analysed. A series of chi-square tests were used to determine the accuracy of recall when prompted and unprompted, and the accuracy of unprompted and prompted recall across demographic factors and mode of delivery.FindingsResults indicated that more participants accurately recalled the campaign messages when prompted (66.1%) compared to unprompted (35.5%), when they had seen outdoor advertisements (e.g. at bus stops or in shopping malls), and if they were between 30 and 45 years of age.Originality/valueThis study is the first to explore the uptake and comprehension of messages from a safe food-handling media campaign. Evaluation of safe food-handling media campaigns has shown some efficacy in relation to behaviour change; however, little is known about the uptake or comprehension of the campaign messages, and factors that may influence this.

Purpose Foodborne illness remains high globally, with the majority of cases occurring in the domestic environment. Research in the safe food-handling domain is limited by the absence of an up-to-date and suitable measure of safe food-handling knowledge for use among consumers, with previous measures limited by questionnaire design features that increase participant burden and burnout and a lack of alignment with current safe food-handling guidelines. The purpose of this study is to develop a safe food-handling knowledge measure to capture a comprehensive understanding of consumers’ safe food-handling knowledge while minimising participant burden and burnout. Design/methodology/approach Items were developed and evaluated prior to administering them to participants. Data was collected among 277 participants who completed the measure online. Findings Results indicated that the measure had good acceptability among participants in the sample (mean = 5.44, SD = 0.77, range = 2.42–7) and that the measure had acceptable reliability (Cronbach’s α = 0.60), item discrimination and item difficulty. These findings suggest that the safe food-handling knowledge measure would be suitable for use in future studies examining consumer safe food-handling. Originality/value This study provides an updated, acceptable and suitable safe food-handling knowledge measure for use among consumers to better understand consumers’ understanding of safe food-handling practices. Use of this measure in future research can improve the measurement of consumer safe food-handling knowledge to allow for better tailoring of future interventions and health campaigns for safe food-handling among consumers.

Background: Self-regulation predicts optimal adjustment, wellbeing and interpersonal functioning. Aspects of self-regulation are differentially important across behaviour types, but this is not well understood. Further, the diverse abilities and measures considered dispute the underlying constructs and assessment methods. This study aims to explore the relevance of self-regulation to various behaviour types and the underlying factors and items reflecting it. Method: Australian participants (N = 692) completed a two-part online questionnaire assessing their self-regulatory abilities at time one, and engagement in one of four health behaviours of varying nature (approach vs avoidance), complexity (onsestep vs multistep) and context (supportive vs unsupportive), and demographics at time two. Data was analysed via exploratory factor analysis to explore the underlying factors and items of self-regulation, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses to explore the relevance of self-regulation to each behaviour.Results: Eight factors underlying self-regulation were identified. Self-regulation was more predictive of avoidance, onestep behaviours in supportive contexts than approach, multistep behaviours in unsupportive contexts. Initiatory and inhibitory aspects were more predictive of approach and unsupported behaviours, and avoidance and supported behaviours respectively. But issues regarding behavioural complexity categorisations may influence interpretations of findings across onestep vs multistep behaviours.Conclusion: Behavioural interventions should consider initiatory and inhibitory self-regulation to optimise changing approach and unsupported, and avoidance and supported behaviours respectively. But researchers should clarify behavioural complexity categorisations to better understand self-regulatory influences of simple and complex behaviours. Hence, we may improve synthesis and translation of findings in practical settings.

We aimed to determine what older adults perceive to be need-supportive behaviours of peer walk leaders, drawing primarily from Self-Determination Theory (SDT).Experienced peer leaders (We conducted semi-structured interviews to identify leader behaviours that support autonomy, competence, and relatedness and analysed the data using framework analysis.We identified eight main themes: eliciting walker interest, acknowledging and adapting to walkers' requirements, ensuring walkers feel comfortable, cared for, and socially integrated, supporting walker confidence, and promoting success experiences. Inexperienced leaders differed from other sub-groups in what they perceived to be supportive behaviours.Future peer leaders could use the identified behaviours to help older adults feel motivated during group walks. New peer leaders can be educated about potential differences between what they describe as supportive and what walkers and experienced leaders perceive as need-supportive behaviours.

OBJECTIVE Interventions to address alcohol use during pregnancy need to target underlying determinants of the behaviour. Using the theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical framework, the aim of this study was to identify behavioural, normative and control beliefs regarding alcohol use during pregnancy among a sample of women. Design: 435 women completed a 15-minute online questionnaire designed to identify beliefs about alcohol use during pregnancy. Data were categorised according to type of belief and then summarised and described. Results: The majority of respondents saw few advantages of consuming alcohol during pregnancy and believed that most people would disapprove of alcohol use during pregnancy. Although most women endorsed alcohol abstinence during pregnancy, views on the perceived risk of different levels of alcohol use and perceptions of the 'typical' person who drinks while pregnant varied between participants. Conclusion: This work contributes to the understanding of women's beliefs about alcohol use during pregnancy. Future research should explore how women's beliefs inform their decision making about different levels of alcohol use in pregnancy. Additionally, further research or messaging about alcohol use in pregnancy must also consider the potential for contributing to stigmatising beliefs.

Background: A healthy parental feeding program consisting of six sequential modules was developed to improve parental feeding behaviours. The six modules focusing on various parental feeding behaviours were found to be moderately effective in changing behaviour. In this study, one of those modules (the self-efficacy module) was systematically adapted and evaluated using Intervention Mapping (IM).Methods: In a literature review (Study 1), the relevance of self-efficacy as a determinant for parental feeding habits was examined. In study 2, the behaviour change techniques used in the original healthy parental feeding program were analysed and adapted to fulfil the related parameters of effectiveness. In study 3, the effectiveness of the new module was pilot-tested among parents (N= 27). Parents received either the original self-efficacy module (group 1), the adapted self-efficacy module (group 2), or no additional module (group 3/control-group). Parental self-efficacy was measured at baseline, post-intervention and at one-week follow-up.Results: In study 1, self-efficacy was identified as a relevant (i.e., important and changeable) determinant for parental feeding habits. In study 2, parameters for effectiveness of the used behaviour change techniques were added where necessary, and texts were changed to improve understanding. In study 3, both the original and new module appeared to increase self-efficacy compared to the no-intervention control group.Discussion: This study was an attempt to adapt existing behaviour change programs based on theory and evidence. However, we were not successful in changing self-efficacy more as compared to the original module.

Adherence to proper hand hygiene practice is relatively low and is particularly salient in light of the current COVID-19 pandemic. Having a greater understanding of the psychosocial predictors of engaging in proper hand hygiene is warranted. One way to do this is through the application of a combined theory of planned behaviour and temporal self-regulation theory model.A prospective two-part study was conducted between May - November 2020, withOne week later, engagement in proper hand hygiene behaviour over the previous week was assessed.Two hierarchical multiple regressions were conducted, with 47% of variance accounted for in intention, with subjective norm being the strongest predictor, and 38% of variance accounted for in hand hygiene behaviour, with intention being the strongest predictor. Environmental cues also moderated the relationship between intention and behaviour.To increase intention, incorporating subjective norm messages in advertisements may be helpful. Incorporating environmental cues in places where hand washing is recommended may assist in increasing hand hygiene.

The relationships between temporal self-regulation theory (TST) constructs (intention, behavioural prepotency and self-regulatory capacity) and medication adherence should be established before further applying the theory to adherence. Searches of PsychINFO, Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL and Web of Science were conducted in 2019 (updated November 2021). Studies had to be original quantitative research, assessed the relationship between one of the constructs and adherence in one illness, and used an adult population. The risk of bias was assessed using the NHLBI Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies. Three meta-analyses were conducted using

Background Rates of noncommunicable diseases continue to rise worldwide. Many of these diseases are a result of engaging in risk behaviors. Without lifestyle and behavioral intervention, noncommunicable diseases can worsen and develop into more debilitating diseases. Behavioral interventions are an effective strategy to reduce the burden of disease. Behavior change techniques can be described as the “active ingredients” in behavior change and address the components that need to be altered in order for the target behavior to change. Health professionals, such as pharmacists and nurses, can engage in opportunistic behavior change with their patients, to encourage positive health behaviors. Objective We aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a behavior change workshop targeted at health professionals in Australia, with the goal of increasing knowledge of behavior change techniques and psychological variables. Methods A prospective study design was used to develop and evaluate a 2-hour behavior change workshop targeted at health professionals. The workshop was developed based on the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, and Behavior Model and had five core objectives: (1) to detail the role of health professionals in delivering optimal care, (2) to demonstrate opportunities to change behavior, (3) to describe principles of behavior change, (4) to explain behavior change techniques, and (5) to determine the most appropriate behavior change techniques to use and when to use them. A total of 10 workshops were conducted. To evaluate the workshops and identify any potential long-term changes in behavior, we collected pre- and postworkshop data on knowledge and psychological constructs from the attendees. Results A final sample of 41 health professionals comprising general practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists completed the pre- and postworkshop surveys. Following the workshops, there were significant improvements in knowledge of behavior change techniques (t40=–5.27, P Conclusions A 2-hour, theoretically informed workshop designed to facilitate the use of behavior change techniques by health professionals was shown to be largely effective. The workshops resulted in increases in knowledge, descriptive and subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention, but not in attitude. The intervention was also shown to be highly acceptable, with the large majority of participants deeming the intervention to be needed, useful, appropriate, and applicable, as well as interesting and worth their time. Future research should examine the lasting impacts of the workshop on health professionals’ practices.

BACKGROUND Rates of non-communicable diseases continue to rise worldwide. Many of these diseases are a result of engaging in behavioural risk factors. Without lifestyle and behavioural intervention, non-communicable diseases can worsen and develop into more debilitating diseases. Behavioural interventions are an effective strategy to reduce the burden of disease. Behaviour change techniques can be described as the ‘active ingredients’ in behaviour change and address the components that need to be altered in order for the target behaviour to change. Health professionals, such as pharmacists and nurses, can engage in opportunistic behaviour change with their patients, to encourage positive health behaviours. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to develop, implement and evaluate a behaviour change workshop targeted at health professionals in Australia, with the goal of increasing knowledge of behaviour change techniques and psychological variables. METHODS A prospective study design was used to develop and evaluate a 2-hour behaviour change workshop targeted at health professionals. The workshop was developed based on the COM-B model and had 5 core objectives: To (1) detail the role of health professionals in delivering optimal care; (2) demonstrate opportunities to change behaviour; (3) describe principles of behaviour change; (4) explain behaviour change techniques, and (5) determine the most appropriate behaviour change techniques to use and when. A total of 10 workshops were conducted. To evaluate the workshop and identify any potential long-term changes in behaviour, data on knowledge and psychological constructs were collected from the attendees pre- and post-workshop. RESULTS A final sample of 41 health professionals comprising of general practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists completed the pre and post-workshop survey. Following the workshops there was a significant improvement in knowledge of behavioural change techniques (t(40) = -5.11, P < .001), subjective norms (t(40) = -3.49, P = .001), descriptive norms (t(40) = -3.65, P < .001), perceived behavioural control (t(40) = -3.30, P = .002), and intention (t(36) = -3.32, P = .002). Each having a large effect. There was no significant difference in attitude post workshop (t(40) = .78, P = .44). The workshops were also found to be highly feasible and acceptable. CONCLUSIONS Ultimately, a 2-hour theoretically informed workshop, designed to facilitate the use of behavioural change techniques within health professionals, was shown to be largely effective. The workshops resulted in an increase in knowledge, descriptive norms, subjective norms, perceived behavioural control, and intention. The intervention was also shown to be highly feasible and acceptable with the large majority of participants deeming the intervention to be needed, useful, appropriate, and applicable, as well as interesting and worth their time. Future research should examine the lasting impacts of the workshop on health professionals’ practice.

Temporal self-regulation theory was developed to address an observed intention-behaviour gap across behaviours. However, a synthesis of studies has not yet been conducted to investigate the theory's utility to explain behaviour and bridge the intention-behaviour gap. This review aimed to evaluate the predictive ability of temporal self-regulation theory to understanding behaviour and pre-registered at PROSPERO (ID: CRD42021253174).Forward citation searches on the original theory publication through Google Scholar until May 2021 identified 37 eligible articles, including, 12,555 participants assessing at least two of the three theory constructs. Random-effects meta-analyses assessed the strength of associations between theory constructs on behaviour and random effects meta-regressions assessed moderators of behaviour.Findings provide support for temporal self-regulation theory to explain behaviour with very weak (self-regulatory capacity r = .039, CI = .00, -.07) to moderate (intention r = .331, CI = .26, .40; behavioural pre-potency r = .379, CI = .32, .44) effect sizes. Further, the strength of associations varied across behaviour types and contexts. However, there was high heterogeneity across studies and some moderating effects could not be assessed due to insufficient numbers of studies assessing interactions.We urge researchers to assess and report interactions for better understanding of the drivers of behaviour to develop effective interventions for positive behaviour change.

The authors examined whether purposeful walking with peers at least once a week contributes to better behavioral and health outcomes in older adults than primarily walking alone. The authors used a longitudinal cohort design and recruited participants aged 60 years and older (N = 136) at the start of a 16-week walking intervention. Participants who walked on average at least once a week in the final 8 weeks of the intervention were included in the analysis (N = 79; 66 females, Mage [SD] = 77.73 [6.91]). The authors found that autonomous motivation, walking self-efficacy, functional capacity, body fat, and physical activity improved more in the walking with peers group compared with the walking alone group, after controlling for whether participants lived alone/with others and their health status. The results extend current literature by providing longitudinal evidence for the added benefits of regular peer-accompanied walking in older adults and highlight the importance of investing in peer-supported interventions.

Plastic pollution is an acute issue, with single-use plastic contributing to it significantly. It is beneficial for the planet if we engage in more sustainable behaviors, such as using reusable items instead of single-use ones, thus reducing plastic pollution. We implemented an intervention to increase the use of reusable coffee cups, by employing behavior change techniques that targeted values towards environment, intention to use a reusable cup, and habit. The intervention was successful in increasing the participants' use of reusable cups. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the acceptability of the intervention and research methods, as well as opinions of participants about the process and intervention effectiveness, using a mixed methods approach. Participants (N = 156) answered open and closed survey questions about the acceptability of the intervention, and 11 participated in interviews regarding their experience of intervention. The intervention was deemed acceptable and useful by all participants, regardless of which intervention condition they were allocated to, according to both survey and interview data. Men, however, evaluated the intervention as less personally relevant than women, with overall participation of men in the intervention being smaller than women. Recommendations for implementing similar interventions and future research are offered.

Behavioural theories, predictions, and interventions should be relevant to complex, real-world health behaviours and conditions. Habit theory and habit formation interventions show promise for predicting and promoting, respectively, longer-term behaviour change and maintenance than has been attained with theories and interventions focused only on deliberative behavioural factors. However, the concept of habit has largely been treated as uniform across different types of behaviours. In this conceptual review, we contend that the definitional aspects of habit differ at a conceptual level for simple versus more complex behaviours, with ramifications for prediction, promotion, and measurement of habits. Specifically, habits are defined as

Purpose of review Elevated lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is a genetic trait that indicates higher risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). We review novel strategies to mitigate behavioural risk-factors in this genetic condition. Recent findings Pharmacological and biological interventions are available for lowering Lp(a). However, the acceptability and feasibility of these approaches are questionable due to cost and lack of clinical evidence for their efficacy. A number of low-cost, minimal patient contact interventions are available for modifying behavioural risk-factors that are associated with increased risk of ASCVD familial hypercholesterolaemia and diabetes. These include lifestyle interventions designed to improve diet and physical activity. These interventions may be particularly important among individuals with elevated Lp(a) to manage their higher risk of diabetes and ASCVD. The following article outlines recent research that has examined such low-cost, minimal patient contact interventions. Summary The current research indicated that such interventions, which are grounded in psychological theory, can assist individuals to improve their diet and physical activity. These findings have implications for developing and implementing similar interventions for individuals with elevated Lp(a), so as to assist in reducing behavioural risk-factors associated with ASCVD.

This study aimed to explore the applicability of temporal self-regulation theory (TST) in adherence to medication, using two self-report measures of behaviour.Recruited through TurkPrime, 191 US adults completed a two-part study.TST constructs of intention, behavioural prepotency (past behaviour, habit, cues), self-regulation (self-control, planning) with regimen complexity, and side effects were measured at time one. At time two, adherence behaviour over the previous week was measured using a revised medication adherence rating scale and an adapted timeline follow-back.Constructs of TST accounted for 51.5% of variance in adherence as assessed by the rating scale. Past behaviour and cues were significant. Habit and planning moderated the intention-adherence relationship. Similarly, the TST constructs accounted for 20.6% of variance when measured by the timeline follow-back. Intention, cues and self-control were significant predictors. Interestingly, cues was the only common significant predictor.TST was partially supported and the role of both rational and automatic factors was supported, however findings differed depending on the type of measure. Future developers of interventions may consider targeting cues to improve medication adherence. Future research also needs to further explore the role of intention, past behaviour, self-control, habit and planning in medication adherence.

Understanding how to help people form habits is important in improving health interventions. The impact of two behaviour change techniques on behaviour (cues and monitoring) was tested, and the role of psychosocial factors that may predict behaviour change and habit formation were investigated.

This study examined the psychological predictors of general prescription medication adherence using an extended theory of planned behaviour (i.e. adding habit strength). The addition of habit strength to the model aimed to close the gap between intention and behaviour to further understand the psychological predictors of adherence. In this prospective study, self-report data was collected online at two time points, 1 week apart, from 114 Australian adults and was used to explore the role of the theory of planned behaviour variables (attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control and intention), and habit strength in predicting medication adherence. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to explore the relationships between variables. Results showed that collectively attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control were unable to significantly predict intention to adhere. A ceiling effect was identified in intention. Perceived behavioural control was the only significant predictor of adherence behaviour (β = .41, p

Objective The oral contraceptive pill is the most widely used method of contraception and when adhered to perfectly is 99% effective at preventing pregnancy. However, adherence to the pill is relatively low. Knowledge has shown to be important in continuation of the pill, and previous research shows the importance of health literacy in adhering to medication in chronic illnesses, but its role has yet to be explored in this behavior. Methods This cross-sectional study examined the associations between health literacy, knowledge of the pill and adherence, as well as the predictive ability of these two variables and their interaction, in predicting adherence. Recruited through CloudResearch, 193 women (Mage = 32.63 years, SD = 5.98) residing in the United States completed the Health Literacy Skills Instrument – Short Form, a previously validated measure of oral contraceptive pill knowledge and the Medication Adherence Report Scale. Results Results showed a strong positive correlation between health literacy and adherence (r = .76) and moderate associations between health literacy and knowledge (r = .42), and knowledge and adherence (r = .42). The final model of the hierarchical multiple regression accounted for 59.8% of variance in adherence, with health literacy (β = .69) and length of time taking the pill (β = .13) the only significant predictors of adherence. Conclusion Family planning clinics should consider assessing the patient’s health literacy skills before prescribing the pill to ensure patients fully understand the requirements.

Worldwide, approximately one in ten people acquire a foodborne disease due to eating contaminated food. This often occurs at home and young adults in particular often lack knowledge of and adherence to safe food-handling recommendations. Using an experimental design, we compared two groups to investigate whether increasing knowledge and self-efficacy would improve food safety behaviour in young adults in comparison to increasing knowledge alone. All participants (N = 221) completed questionnaires assessing safe food-handling knowledge, self-efficacy, and behaviour, and watched an educational safe food-handling campaign consisting of four short videos providing information on how to safely cook, clean, prepare, and chill food. The experimental group (N = 121) created an action plan, set a safe food-handling related goal, and made a commitment to change their safe food-handling behaviour. The control group (N = 100) completed a similar task not specific to safe food-handling. One week later, the questionnaires were repeated. Repeated measures ANOVAs showed that self-efficacy and behaviour increased in both groups but there was a significantly greater increase in the experimental group. Knowledge increased significantly in the experimental group, but did not in the control group. No mediation of self-efficacy on safe food-handling behaviour in the experimental group was found. The intervention was successful in improving the impact of the educational materials and further, self-efficacy increased significantly even when applied to a non-related topic. This has important implications for improvements in safe food-handling media campaigns.

OBJECTIVE: Habitual behaviours are triggered automatically, with little conscious forethought. Theory suggests that making healthy behaviours habitual, and breaking the habits that underpin many ingrained unhealthy behaviours, promotes long-term behaviour change. This has prompted interest in incorporating habit formation and disruption strategies into behaviour change interventions. Yet, notable research gaps limit understanding of how to harness habit to change real-world behaviours. METHODS: Discussions among health psychology researchers and practitioners, at the 2019 European Health Psychology Society 'Synergy Expert Meeting', generated pertinent questions to guide further research into habit and health behaviour. RESULTS: In line with the four topics discussed at the meeting, 21 questions were identified, concerning: how habit manifests in health behaviour (3 questions); how to form healthy habits (5 questions); how to break unhealthy habits (4 questions); and how to develop and evaluate habit-based behaviour change interventions (9 questions). CONCLUSIONS: While our questions transcend research contexts, accumulating knowledge across studies of specific health behaviours, settings, and populations will build a broader understanding of habit change principles and how they may be embedded into interventions. We encourage researchers and practitioners to prioritise these questions, to further theory and evidence around how to create long-lasting health behaviour change. publishedVersion

The prevalence of childhood obesity remains high, even among young children under 5 years of age. As parents are usually the key providers of food within the home for young children, it is important to understand influences on parental snack and beverage provision. Previous research in this domain is yet to investigate the role of both rational and automatic processes in parents' provision of unhealthy snacks and beverages to their children. Subsequently, the aim of this study was to explore the influence of both habit and self-regulation on parents' behaviours related to providing unhealthy snacks to their child. Two-hundred and forty-nine parents of a child between two and three years of age were recruited via CloudResearch for this prospective study. Parents completed self-report measures of their intention, habit, and self-control related to snack and beverage provision to their child at time-one. One week later, parents self-reported their unhealthy snack and beverage provision over the previous week. Two hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine the role of parents' intention, habit, and self-control in predicting their unhealthy snack and beverage provision. Results suggest that both habit and self-control influence parents' unhealthy snack and beverage provision. However, self-control plays an important role in strengthening the intention-behaviour relationship, and in limiting the impact of opposing habits on behaviour. Interventions that focus on modifying self-control would be useful for improving unhealthy snack and beverage provision among parents with young children.

Structural models of psychopathology have emerged as an alternative to traditional categorical approaches. The bifactor model, which incorporates a general p-factor, has become the preferred structure. The p-factor is claimed to represent a substantive construct or property of the system, however, recent evidence suggests that it may be without substantive meaning. If a universal substantive p, and associated specific factors, is to be developed they not only must be applicable and consistent between populations but also must be applicable and consistent within subgroups of a population. This consistency needs to include not only factor loadings but also factor correlates. We used a simulated data approach to explore the applicability and consistency of four popular models of psychopathology to a range of heterogeneous subgroups and examined the consistency of their neurocognitive correlates. We found that only eight out of sixty-three subgroups fitted any of the models with all significant loadings, no negative loadings, no non-positive-definite identification issues, and no negative variance. All eight of these subgroups fit the correlated factors model, none fit the original bifactor model, four subgroups fit the revised bifactor model, and one subgroup fit the single-factor model. Correlates of the factors also varied substantially between the subgroups fitted to the same model. We discuss the implications of the findings, including the implications for the development of universal substantive factors of psychopathology.

Climate change and related issues associated with the interaction of humans with the environment are of great importance in today's context. More and more research is focusing on understanding what...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of choice on the development and maintenance of a fruit consumption behaviour and if behaviour change was underpinned by habit strength.Design/methodology/approachA 2×2×3 mixed model experimental design was used. The independent variables were pictorial cue and fruit consumption manipulated on two levels: choice and no choice, across three-time points: baseline, post-intervention (after two weeks) and follow-up (one week later). Participants (n=166) completed demographics, the self-report habit index and fruit intake at all three-time points.FindingsAll participants showed significant increases in fruit consumption and habit strength at post-intervention and follow-up. However, participants provided neither choice of cue nor fruit showed a significant decrease in consumption at follow-up.Practical implicationsFruit consumption can be significantly increased with a relatively simple intervention; choice seems to have an effect on behaviour maintenance, providing no choice negatively effects behaviour maintenance post-intervention. This may inform future interventions designed to increase fruit and vegetable consumption.Originality/valueThe intervention that the authors designed and implemented in the current study is the first of its kind, where choice was manipulated in two different ways and behaviour was changed with a simple environmental cue intervention.

BACKGROUND: Healthy eating behaviours are important for physical and mental well-being and developing healthy eating behaviours early in life is important. As parents are the main providers of preschool children's food the main objective of this study was to use the theory of planned behaviour, expanded to include habit and past behaviour, to predict parents' healthy feeding intention and behaviour.METHODS: Theory of planned behaviour, habit strength, and past behaviour were reported at baseline by 443 mothers. One week later, 235 mothers completed a healthy feeding questionnaire on the eating behaviours of their 2-4 year old child. Data were analysed using hierarchical regression analyses to predict parent's general healthy feeding behaviour, and five sub-behaviours: parents' perceptions of their child's fruit and vegetable consumption, healthy and unhealthy snacking behaviour, as well as healthy and unhealthy drinking behaviour.RESULTS: Intention, perceived behavioural control, habit strength and past behaviour were all positively associated with parents' general healthy feeding (47% explained variance). Perceived behavioural control was the only variable positively associated with mothers' perception of their child's fruit and vegetable consumption and unhealthy snacking behaviour. The theory did not explain the other behaviours. Moreover, habit strength only strengthened the intention-behaviour link for fruit and vegetable consumption and child's age was only positively associated with the mothers' perception of their child's unhealthy snacking behaviour.DISCUSSION: The findings suggest important differences in the predictors of different feeding behaviours that can provide direction for future intervention development.