RESUMEN

Drinking alcohol in excess is associated with deleterious health outcomes, highlighting the need for research to identify potentially modifiable correlates of excessive alcohol consumption to target in behavioral interventions. The present two-wave prospective correlational study applied an integrated theoretical model that included theory of planned behavior constructs alongside habit, cue consistency, affective attitudes, and past behavior as predictors of two alcohol-related behaviors, drinking within safe limits and regular alcohol drinking, in separate samples of Australian undergraduate students (total N = 474). Structural equation models identified direct effects of habit, affective attitude, and subjective norms on intention for both behaviors. Habit at follow-up, cue consistency, and past behavior directly predicted behavior in both samples, whereas intention predicted behavior only for drinking within safe limits, and affective attitude only predicted behavior for regular drinking. Cue consistency moderated the effects of habit on behavior for both behaviors and moderated the effect of past behavior on regular drinking. Results corroborate past behavior and habit as key correlates of behavior and provide preliminary evidence of the importance of integrating cue consistency, a defining characteristic of habit, as a moderator of habit and past behavior effects an integrated theory test.

RESUMEN

Background: With the increase of sedentary jobs and the health risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle, finding novel methods to increase physical activity should be a priority. Environmental cues within the workplace can serve as cues to action for initiating light physical activity. Aim: To qualitatively explore the environmental cues that can instigate light physical activity within an office workplace context. Identification of these cues can inform behaviour change programmes designed to promote habitual physical movement within the workplace. Method: Purposive sampling was used to recruit full-time sedentary office workers who self-report as having a highly sedentary job. Interviews followed a semi-structured design and thematic analysis was used to explore environmental cues within commercial, home, and mixed office settings. Results: Forty-three office workers were interviewed, 16 from a commercial office, 12 from a home office, and 15 with a flexible work arrangement whereby they worked from both a commercial and home office. The findings of this study indicate that across all three groups the main instigator of movement was influenced by office layout (e.g. getting up for beverages and taking bathroom breaks), social environment (e.g. informal and formal meetings), and taking active breaks, both job-related (e.g. printing and filing) and non-job-related (e.g. household chores). Conclusions: These findings provide valuable insight for behaviour change programmes utilising environmental cues to inform habit-based interventions designed to instigate movement within the workplace.

RESUMEN

Regular physical activity is an important health promoting behavior. Yet, many adults live sedentary lifestyles, especially during their workday. The current study applies an extended theory of planned behavior model, incorporating affective attitudes and instrumental attitudes, along with habit, to predict limiting sedentary behavior and physical activity within an office environment. Theory of planned behavior constructs and habit were assessed with an online survey on a sample of 180 full-time office workers, with self-reported behavior assessed 1 week later (Mage = 25.97, SDage = 10.24; 44 males, 134 females, and 2 nonbinary). Model fit was indicated by BRMSEA (M = 0.057, SD = 0.023), B γ^ (M = 0.984, SD = 0.010) and BCFI (M = 0.959, SD = 0.026), accounting for 46.1% of variance in intention, 21.6% of variance in sedentary behavior, and 17.4% of variance in physical activity behavior. A Bayesian structural equation model revealed direct effects of instrumental attitudes and perceived behavioral control on intention to limit sedentary behavior, direct effects of intention and perceived behavioral control on limiting sedentary behavior, and direct effects of perceived behavioral control and habit on engaging in physical activity. The current study indicates intentions to be active in the office are primarily driven by beliefs about the benefits of activity and individuals' perceived level of control, rather than normative or affective beliefs. As behavior was predicted by both intention and habit, findings also indicate office-based activity is likely not always a consciously driven decision. These findings may have implications for improving activity levels in this highly sedentary population.

Asunto(s)

Ejercicio Físico , Conducta Sedentaria , Adulto , Masculino , Femenino , Humanos , Teorema de Bayes , Ejercicio Físico/psicología , Intención , Lugar de Trabajo , Encuestas y Cuestionarios

RESUMEN

Engaging in physical movement has a number of mental and physical health benefits, and yet 45% of Australia's population do not meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity. The current study aims to develop an online habit-based intervention designed to reduce sedentary behavior within the workplace, using environmental cues to instigate simple behavioral changes. Participants in this study will include full time office workers who self-report as having a highly sedentary job and work from either a commercial office, home office, or a mixture of both. Participants will complete a habit-based intervention over a four-week period designed to reduce sedentary behavior by increasing habitual responses to simple physical movement behaviors cued by their environment. Analysis will involve mixed methods ANOVAs to test the efficacy of the intervention. A successful intervention will show a reduction in sedentary behavior as a response to habitual simple physical movement behaviors.