Developing Examples of Behaviour Change Techniques for Use in Nutrition and Dietetics: An International Delphi Study

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Behavior change techniques (BCTs) are crucial for improving health behaviors like eating and drinking.
• The Behavior Change Technique Taxonomy v1 (BCTTv1) outlines 93 distinct BCTs.
• Practical examples are needed to support nutrition and dietetics practitioners and researchers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop practical examples illustrating the 93 BCTs from BCTTv1.
• To focus these examples on clinical nutrition (CN) and public health nutrition (PHN).
• To achieve expert consensus on the applicability and usefulness of these BCT examples via a Delphi technique.

Main Methods:

• Examples of BCTs were drafted for CN and PHN based on BCTTv1.
• A Delphi technique involving 14 international experts was employed.
• Experts evaluated examples using a 0-5 score, with revisions and a second evaluation round.

Main Results:

• After two rounds, consensus (mean score ≥4.0) was reached for 85 CN and 84 PHN BCT examples.
• Expert consensus scores significantly increased from round 1 to round 2 for both CN and PHN.
• Fourteen experts from eight countries participated, including researchers, teachers, and practitioners.

Conclusions:

• High consensus was achieved on the applicability and usefulness of numerous BCT examples for CN and PHN.
• These validated examples serve as a foundational resource for designing and implementing nutrition behavior change interventions.
• The study successfully bridged the gap between the BCTTv1 taxonomy and practical application in nutrition settings.