Behavior Change Techniques Associated With Changes in Postintervention and Maintained Changes in Self-Efficacy For...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Science
• Public Health
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Self-efficacy is a key factor influencing physical activity engagement.
• Current understanding of effective strategies to enhance and maintain physical activity self-efficacy is limited.
• Adult populations present diverse needs for physical activity interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review behavior change techniques (BCTs) associated with changes in self-efficacy for physical activity.
• To identify effective BCT clusters and optimal numbers of BCTs for improving and maintaining self-efficacy.
• To analyze these associations across diverse adult populations.

Main Methods:

• Systematic search of 180 randomized trials (204 comparisons) reporting self-efficacy changes.
• Coding of BCTs using the BCT Taxonomy v1.
• Meta-analyses and moderator analyses to assess the impact of individual BCTs and their clusters on self-efficacy.

Main Results:

• Small postintervention effects on self-efficacy (d = 0.26).
• "Information about social, environmental, and emotional consequences" BCT showed higher effect sizes; "social support (practical)" showed lower effect sizes.
• Small, nonsignificant effects for maintained self-efficacy (d = 0.08); a positive relationship between the number of BCTs and maintained self-efficacy was observed.

Conclusions:

• No single approach effectively increases self-efficacy for physical activity in all adults; population-specific strategies are needed.
• Interventions incorporating a greater number of BCTs demonstrate enhanced effectiveness in maintaining self-efficacy for physical activity.
• Future research should focus on tailored BCT combinations for diverse adult groups to promote sustained physical activity.