Can the effects of implementation intentions on exercise be enhanced using text messages?

Implementation intentions planning in advance the situation in which one will act, have been proposed to be an effective self-regulatory technique for changing health behaviour. Encouraging people to receive text message reminders of their implementation intentions should enhance their strength and, thus, it was predicted that this combined approach would be particularly effective in increasing exercise. Participants (N = 155) were randomly allocated to one of five conditions (implementation intentions and SMS, implementation intention, SMS or one of two control groups) then completed self-report measures of exercise behaviour and motivation. Four weeks later, they responded to similar items. Results suggested that the combined intervention increased exercise frequency significantly more than the other strategies including the implementation intention group. It is proposed, therefore, that implementation intention effects can be enhanced via plan reminders.

[1]  R. Rogers.  Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: a revised theory of prote , 1983 .

[2]  Athayde Ribeiro da Silva.  Psychological preparation and athletic excellence , 1986 .

[3]  P. Gollwitzer.  Action phases and mind-sets , 1990 .

[4]  Jutta Heckhausen,et al.  Motivation and action , 1991 .

[5]  P. Gollwitzer.  Goal Achievement: The Role of Intentions , 1993 .

[6]  P. Gollwitzer,et al.  Metacognition in Action: The Importance of Implementation Intentions , 1998, Personality and social psychology review : an official journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

[7]  P. Gollwitzer.  Implementation intentions: Strong effects of simple plans. , 1999 .

[8]  C. Midden,et al.  To plan or not to plan? Goal achievement or interrupting the performance of mundane behaviors , 1999 .

[9]  P. Sheeran,et al.  Implementation intentions and repeated behaviour: augmenting the predictive validity of the theory of planned behaviour , 1999 .

[10]  Douglas Carnall.  NHS Direct Online , 2000, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[11]  Debbie A Lawlor,et al.  The effectiveness of exercise as an intervention in the management of depression: systematic review and meta-regression analysis of randomised controlled trials , 2001, BMJ : British Medical Journal.

[12]  Eating for exercise. , 2002, Positively aware : the monthly journal of the Test Positive Aware Network.

[13]  P. Sheeran,et al.  Combining motivational and volitional interventions to promote exercise participation: protection motivation theory and implementation intentions. , 2002, British journal of health psychology.

[14]  M. Conner,et al.  Understanding adolescent smoking: The role of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and implementation intentions , 2003 .

[15]  Mark Conner,et al.  The use of implementation intentions and the decision balance sheet in promoting exercise behaviour , 2003 .

[16]  A. Sherwood,et al.  Sympathoadrenergic mechanisms in reduced hemodynamic stress responses after exercise. , 2003, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[17]  Susan Michie,et al.  Increasing screening uptake amongst those intending to be screened: the use of action plans. , 2004, Patient education and counseling.

[18]  Christopher J Armitage,et al.  Evidence that implementation intentions reduce dietary fat intake: a randomized trial. , 2004, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[19]  P. Gollwitzer,et al.  The Interplay Between Goal Intentions and Implementation Intentions , 2005, Personality & social psychology bulletin.

[20]  D. Lavin,et al.  Dental floss behaviour: A test of the predictive utility of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the effects of making implementation intentions , 2005 .

[21]  Mark Conner,et al.  Individual and collaborative implementation intentions and the promotion of breast self-examination , 2005 .

[22]  Mary J Wills,et al.  Do u smoke after txt? Results of a randomised trial of smoking cessation using mobile phone text messaging , 2005, Tobacco Control.

[23]  P. Knapp,et al.  Beyond intention: do specific plans increase health behaviours in patients in primary care? A study of fruit and vegetable consumption. , 2005, Social science & medicine.

[24]  Robert Hurling,et al.  Internet-based exercise intervention systems: Are more interactive designs better? , 2006 .

[25]  Ralf Schwarzer,et al.  Improving fruit and vegetable consumption: a self-efficacy intervention compared with a combined self-efficacy and planning intervention. , 2006, Health education research.

[26]  P. Sheeran,et al.  How do implementation intentions promote goal attainment? A test of component processes , 2007 .

[27]  H. Merckelbach,et al.  Overcoming ego depletion : The influence of exemplar priming on self-control performance , 2007 .

[28]  Mark Hopkins,et al.  Individual variability following 12 weeks of supervised exercise: identification and characterization of compensation for exercise-induced weight loss , 2008, International Journal of Obesity.