Identifying the behavior change techniques used in obesity interventions: An example from the EARLY trials

Area of Science:

• Obesity Research
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health Interventions

Background:

• Effective dissemination of obesity interventions relies on detailed documentation of intervention components.
• Published manuscripts, including outcome and design papers, often lack the necessary detail for intervention replication.
• The Behavior Change Technique (BCT) Taxonomy (BCTTv1) is a standard method for identifying intervention elements.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the concordance of Behavior Change Techniques (BCTs) and domains identified in intervention protocols versus published design and outcome papers.
• To quantify the extent of information loss regarding intervention components in published literature.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of four obesity intervention studies with complete protocols and published papers.
• Calculation of the number of domains and BCTs from intervention protocols, design papers, and outcome papers.
• Determination of the emphasis of domains and BCTs using the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP).

Main Results:

• Intervention protocols detailed an average of 11.8 domains and 26.7 BCTs.
• Outcome papers reported a 34% loss of domains and a 43% loss of BCTs compared to protocols.
• Design papers showed an 11% loss of domains and a 21% loss of BCTs compared to protocols.

Conclusions:

• Coding BCTs from outcome papers is insufficient for fully describing obesity interventions.
• Mechanisms for comprehensive intervention description are needed, such as online supplemental sections or intervention-focused consort guidelines.