Applying the behaviour change technique (BCT) taxonomy v1: a study of coder training.

Area of Science:

• Health behavior research
• Intervention science
• Behavioral psychology

Background:

• The Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy v1 (BCTTv1) is crucial for identifying intervention components.
• Effective application of BCTTv1 requires reliable and valid coding of behavior change techniques (BCTs).
• User training is a potential method to enhance the accurate application of BCTTv1.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of user training in improving the reliable, valid, and confident application of BCTTv1.
• To assess trainee performance in coding BCTs within intervention descriptions post-training.

Main Methods:

• One hundred sixty-one participants received training via workshops or group tutorials on coding frequent BCTs.
• Pre- and post-training assessments included inter-coder agreement, trainee agreement with expert consensus, confidence ratings, and coding competence.
• Coding accuracy was evaluated for 12 BCTs in workshops and 17 BCTs in tutorials.

Main Results:

• Training significantly improved agreement with expert consensus (p < .05) and increased confidence in BCT coding (p < .05).
• Coding competence also improved post-training, with no significant difference between workshop and tutorial methods (p = .55).
• Inter-coder agreement did not show significant improvement (p = .08 and p = .57 for workshops and tutorials, respectively).

Conclusions:

• User training enhances agreement with expert consensus, confidence, and coding competence when applying BCTTv1.
• The training did not significantly improve inter-coder agreement, suggesting a need for further refinement in this area.
• Training effectiveness varied depending on the specific BCT being coded.