Exploring Response Patterns to Motivational Messages Supporting Physical Activity: Latent Class Analysis

In mobile health care, text messages play an important role in improving physical activity. Recent studies have developed message banks based on theories, including the behavior change technique (BCT) taxonomy. However, little evidence is available for individual differences (ie, who responds to which BCTs presented in messages), which is crucial for optimizing message delivery.

We investigated how individuals perceive messages supporting physical activity and what clusters of individuals are identified by their responses.

Japanese-speaking adults (n=2859; mean age 54.5, SD 17.5 years; 1486 women) were presented with messages conveying different BCTs and rated how motivational each message was. The motivation ratings were subjected to latent class analysis to identify clusters of individuals per motivation rating.

A total of 7 clusters were identified. Two clusters gave consistently high ratings across BCT types; one showed a general receptivity to all messages, while the other showed a clearer preference for information-based BCTs. Two clusters showed moderate ratings, both preferring information about consequences but differing in their additional preferences for goal setting vs rewards. Two clusters gave overall low ratings and typically included less active individuals in the preaction stages, both showing a preference for information-based BCTs. The remaining cluster showed the greatest variability in BCT preferences, with the strongest preference for salience of consequences.

These results highlight individual differences in perceived motivations across BCTs, informing what BCTs should be prioritized in delivery. The practical implications for message tailoring are also discussed.