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A Smartphone-Based Implicit Theories Intervention for Health Behavior Change: Randomized Trial.
Mike Schreiber1,2, Simone Dohle2,3
1Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
A smartphone intervention effectively increased health-promoting behaviors by fostering an incremental theory of health, suggesting a cost-effective digital health approach. Further research is needed to understand varied intervention effects.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Digital Health
- Health Psychology
Background:
- Implicit theories of health influence beliefs about health malleability.
- An incremental theory of health, believing health is malleable, is linked to better health outcomes.
- Mobile health interventions show promise for promoting health behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of a smartphone-based intervention promoting an incremental theory of health on health-promoting behaviors.
- To utilize ecological momentary assessment for measuring behavior change.
Main Methods:
- A 2-arm, delayed intervention study with 149 German participants.
- Participants self-reported 10 health-promoting behaviors over 3 weeks using ecological momentary assessment.
- Intervention materials promoting an incremental theory of health were delivered after 1 or 2 weeks of baseline measurement.
Main Results:
- Participants showed a significant increase in incremental health theory beliefs post-intervention.
- Overall, health-promoting behaviors increased significantly after intervention exposure.
- The delayed intervention group exhibited a significant increase in behaviors, unlike the early intervention group.
Conclusions:
- A smartphone intervention promoting an incremental theory of health is a cost-effective method to boost health behaviors.
- Understanding differential effects between early and delayed interventions requires further investigation.
- Findings can inform future digital health interventions focused on implicit theories for behavior change.
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