Redesigning walking brochures using behaviour change theory: implications for walking intentions in natural...

Area of Science:

• Environmental psychology
• Health promotion
• Behavioral science

Background:

• Natural environments offer health benefits via recreational walking.
• Current promotional efforts often overlook psychologically-informed messaging strategies.
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines emphasize behavior change frameworks for health promotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of a standard versus a psychologically enhanced recreational walking brochure.
• To investigate the impact of persuasive messages on intentions to walk in natural environments.
• To determine if messaging should be tailored based on prior walking experience.

Main Methods:

• An experiment was conducted comparing two versions of a recreational walking brochure: a standard version and an enhanced version with persuasive messages.
• Participants' intentions to walk for recreation in natural environments were measured.
• The study analyzed differences in intentions between participants exposed to each brochure type, considering their recreational walking experience.

Main Results:

• The enhanced brochure significantly increased intentions to walk for recreation in natural environments among inexperienced walkers.
• Conversely, the enhanced brochure appeared to decrease intentions among already experienced recreational walkers.
• This suggests a differential effect of persuasive messaging based on an individual's existing engagement in recreational walking.

Conclusions:

• Tailoring messaging strategies in recreational walking promotions is crucial for effectiveness.
• Promotional materials should consider segmenting audiences (e.g., novice vs. experienced walkers) for optimal impact.
• The principles of persuasive messaging can be applied to various outdoor walking promotion initiatives.