title: A family-based intervention to increase fruit and vegetable consumption in adolescents: a pilot study. The relation between perception and behavior, or how to win a game of trivial pursuit. How well do cognitive and environmental variables predict active commuting? Healthy habits: efficacy of simple advice on weight control based on a habit-formation model Habit, identity, and repetitive action: a prospective study of binge-drinking in UK students. A controlled trial of a school-based environmental intervention to improve physical activity in Dutch children: JUMP-in, kids in motion. The automatic component of habit in health behavior: habit as cue-contingent automaticity. Predicting fruit consumption: cognitions, intention, and habits. When Planning is Not Enough: The Self-Regulatory Effect of Implementation Intentions on Changing Snacking Habits
abstract: OBJECTIVE To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a pilot family-based newsletter intervention to increase  fruit and vegetable ( FV ) consumption among adolescents . DESIGN Family-based , two-group r and omised control trial with baseline , post-intervention and follow-up measures . The intervention group received two FV newsletter packs over a 1 month period by postal mail . Social cognitive and behavioural choice theories provide the theoretical framework for the design and development of intervention material s. Control families were provided with all intervention material s at the end of the study . Adolescent FV consumption was assessed by an FFQ . Adolescent-reported barriers to eating FV , FV habits and preferences were the secondary outcomes , along with parent FV consumption , and parents reported knowledge , encouragement , home availability and accessibility of FV . Repeated- measures ANOVA was used to detect differences in behavioural and psychosocial outcomes between groups , time and group-by-time . SETTING East Midl and s , UK . SUBJECTS Forty-nine parents and adolescents aged 12 - 14 years . RESULTS Process evaluation indicated high reach , dose acceptability and fidelity of the intervention . At post-intervention and 6 weeks later at follow-up , adolescents in the intervention group had significantly higher fruit : ( P < 0.01 ) and vegetable ( P < 0.05 ) consumption and higher preferences for vegetables ( P < 0.01 ) , compared with the control group . At post-intervention and follow-up , parents in the intervention group had significantly higher fruit ( P < 0.001 ) and vegetable ( P < 0.01 ) consumption and reported higher accessibility of fruit and vegetables ( P < 0.001 ) , compared with those in the control group . CONCLUSIONS Family-based , newsletter interventions promoting FV consumption to adolescents appear to be feasible and effective at increasing FV consumption The authors tested and confirmed the hypothesis that priming a  stereotype or trait  leads to complex overt behavior in line with this activated stereotype or trait . Specifically , 4 experiments established that priming the stereotype of professors or the trait intelligent enhanced participants ' performance on a scale measuring general knowledge . Also , priming the stereotype of soccer hooligans or the trait stupid reduced participants ' performance on a general knowledge scale . Results of the experiments revealed ( a ) that prolonged priming leads to more pronounced behavioral effects and ( b ) that there is no sign of decay of the effects for at least 15 min . The authors explain their results by cl aim ing that perception had a direct and pervasive impact on overt behavior ( cf . J.A. Bargh , M. Chen , & L. Burrows , 1996 ) . Implication s for human social behavior are discussed Background In recent years , there has been growing interest in theoretical studies integrating cognitions and environmental variables in the prediction of behaviour related to the obesity epidemic . This is the approach adopted in the present study in reference to the theory of planned behaviour . More precisely , the aim of this study was to determine the contribution of cognitive and environmental variables in the prediction of active commuting to get to and from work or school . Methods A prospect i ve study was carried out with 130 undergraduate and graduate students ( 93 females ; 37 males ) .  Environmental , cognitive and socio-demographic variables  were evaluated at baseline by question naire . Two weeks later , active commuting ( walking/bicycling ) to get to and from work or school was self-reported by question naire . Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed to predict intention and behaviour . Results The model predicting behaviour based on cognitive variables explained more variance than the model based on environmental variables ( 37.4 % versus 26.8 % ; Z = 3.86 , p < 0.001 ) . Combining cognitive and environmental variables with socio-demographic variables to predict behaviour yielded a final model explaining 41.1 % ( p < 0.001 ) of the variance . The significant determinants were intention , habit and age . Concerning intention , the same procedure yielded a final model explaining 78.2 % ( p < 0.001 ) of the variance , with perceived behavioural control , attitude and habit being the significant determinants . Conclusion The results showed that cognitive variables play a more important role than environmental variables in predicting and explaining active commuting . When environmental variables were significant , they were mediated by cognitive variables . Therefore , individual cognitions should remain one of the main focuses of interventions promoting active commuting among undergraduate and graduate students Objective : To evaluate the efficacy of a simple weight loss intervention , based on principles of habit formation . Design : An exploratory trial in which overweight and obese adults were r and omized either to a habit-based intervention condition ( with two subgroups given weekly vs monthly weighing ; n=33 , n=36 ) or to a waiting-list control condition ( n=35 ) over 8 weeks . Intervention participants were followed up for 8 months . Participants : A total of 104 adults ( 35 men , 69 women ) with an average BMI of 30.9 kg m−2.Intervention : Intervention participants were given a leaflet containing advice on habit formation and simple recommendations for eating and activity behaviours promoting negative energy balance , together with a self-monitoring checklist . Main outcome measures : Weight change over 8 weeks in the intervention condition compared with the control condition and weight loss maintenance over 32 weeks in the intervention condition . Results : At 8 weeks , people in the intervention condition had lost significantly more weight ( mean=2.0 kg ) than those in the control condition ( 0.4 kg ) , with no difference between weekly and monthly weighing subgroups . At 32 weeks , those who remained in the study had lost an average of 3.8 kg , with 54 % losing 5 % or more of their body weight . An intention-to-treat analysis ( based on last-observation-carried-forward ) reduced this to 2.6 kg , with 26 % achieving a 5 % weight loss . Conclusions : This easily disseminable , low-cost , simple intervention produced clinical ly significant weight loss . In limited re source setting s it has potential as a tool for obesity management OBJECTIVES Repeated action can lead to the formation of habits and identification as ' the kind of person ' that performs the behaviour . This has led to the suggestion that identity- relevance is a facet of habit . This study explores conceptual overlap between habit and identity , and examines where the two constructs fit into an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour ( TPB ) model of binge-drinking among university students . DESIGN Prospect i ve , question naire-based correlational design . METHODS A total of 167 UK university students completed baseline measures of past behaviour , self-identity , the Self-Report Habit Index ( SRHI ) , and TPB constructs . One week later , 128 participants completed a follow-up behaviour measure . RESULTS Factor analyses of the SRHI and four identity items revealed two correlated but distinct factors , relating to habit and identity , respectively . Hierarchical regression analyses of intention and behaviour showed that identity contributed over and above TPB constructs to the prediction of intention , whereas habit predicted behaviour directly , and interacted with intentions in predicting behaviour . Habits unexpectedly strengthened the intention-behaviour relation , such that strong intenders were more likely to binge-drink where they also had strong habits . CONCLUSIONS Identity and habit are conceptually discrete and impact differently on binge-drinking . Findings have implication s for habit theory and measurement . Recommendations for student alcohol consumption reduction initiatives are offered Interventions to promote physical activity are important in preventing children from becoming overweight . Many projects have been developed but only a few showed ( moderate ) effects . JUMP-in is a systematic ally developed primary -school-based intervention that focuses on the use of theory , environmental changes , parental influences and cooperation with multi-level parties in intervention development . The effects of JUMP-in were evaluated with a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test research design . In total , 510 children from Grade s 4 , 5 and 6 of four intervention schools and two control schools in Amsterdam were followed for an intervention period of one school year . Changes in physical activity as well as in the social cognitive determinants were assessed using self-reports . In addition , a process evaluation has been executed . The results show that JUMP-in was effective in influencing physical activity , especially among children from Grade 6 . Children in the control group decreased their level of physical activity considerably , while activity levels in intervention children from Grade 6 remained stable . The intervention effects could not be explained by changes in the measured social cognitive determinants . In contrast , process information illuminated differences in intervention effects between the participating schools . The results from the JUMP-in study show the importance of intervention design s that focus on a theory-based mix of relevant environmental and social cognitive factors OBJECTIVE Habit might be usefully characterized as a form of automaticity that involves the association of a cue and a response . Three studies examined habitual automaticity in regard to different aspects of the cue-response relationship characteristic of unhealthy and healthy habits . DESIGN , MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES , AND RESULTS In each study , habitual automaticity was assessed by the  Self-Report Habit Index ( SRHI ) . In Study 1 SRHI scores correlated with attentional bias to smoking cues in a Stroop task . Study 2 examined the ability of a habit cue to elicit an unwanted habit response . In a prospect i ve field study , habitual automaticity in relation to smoking when drinking alcohol in a licensed public house ( pub ) predicted the likelihood of cigarette-related action slips 2 months later after smoking in pubs had become illegal . In Study 3 experimental group participants formed an implementation  intention to floss  in response to a specified situational cue . Habitual automaticity of dental flossing  was rapidly enhanced compared to controls . CONCLUSION The studies provided three different demonstrations of the importance of cues in the automatic operation of habits . Habitual automaticity assessed by the SRHI captured aspects of a habit that go beyond mere frequency or consistency of the behavior OBJECTIVE To study predictors of fruit intake in a sample of 627 adults . DESIGN Potential predictors of fruit intake were assessed at baseline , and fruit intake was assessed at two-week follow-up with self-administered question naires distributed by e-mail . SETTING The study was conducted among Dutch adult members of an Internet research panel . PARTICIPANTS A r and om sample of 627 adults aged 18 - 78 . VARIABLES MEASURED Attitudes , subjective norms , self-efficacy , expected pros and cons , habit strength , intention , and fruit intake . Fruit intake  was assessed with a vali date d food-frequency question naire . ANALYSIS Hierarchical linear and logistic regression analyses . Alpha < .05 was considered statistically significant . RESULTS Sex , attitudes , subjective norms , perceived pros , different self-efficacy expectations , and habit strength were significantly associated with the intention to eat two or more servings of fruit per day . Age , intentions , and habit strength were significant predictors of consumption of two or more servings of fruit per day . CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATION S The results confirm that Theory of Planned Behavior constructs predict fruit intake , and that habit strength and different self-efficacy expectations may be additional determinants relevant to fruit intake . Because habitual behavior is considered to be triggered by environmental cues , fruit promotion interventions should further explore environmental change strategies Objective : This study examined whether matching implementation intentions to people ’s  regulatory orientation affects the effectiveness of changing unhealthy snacking habits .  Design : Participants ’ regulatory orientation  was either measured ( as a chronic trait ) or manipulated ( as a situational state ) , and participants were r and omly assigned to implementation intention conditions to eat more healthy snacks or avoid eating unhealthy ones . Main outcome measures : A self-reported online food diary of healthy and unhealthy snacks over a two-day period . Results : Participants with weak unhealthy snacking habits consumed more healthy snacks when forming implementation intentions ( regardless of match or mismatch with their regulatory orientation ) , while participants with strong unhealthy snacking habits consumed more healthy snacks only when forming implementation intentions that matched their regulatory orientations . Conclusion : Results suggest that implementation intentions that match regulatory orientation heighten motivation intensity and put snacking under intentional control for people with strong unhealthy snacking habits
target: Results A four-item automaticity subscale ( the ‘ Self-Report Behavioural Automaticity Index ’ ; ‘ SRBAI ’ ) was found to be reliable and sensitive to two hypothesised effects of habit on behaviour : a habit-behaviour correlation , and a moderating effect of habit on the intention-behaviour relationship .
  Conclusion The SRBAI offers a parsimonious measure that adequately captures habitual behaviour patterns .
  The SRBAI may be of particular utility in predicting future behaviour and in studies tracking habit formation or disruption
background: Background The twelve-item Self-Report Habit Index ( SRHI ) is the most popular measure of energy-balance related habits .
  This measure characterises habit by automatic activation , behavioural frequency , and relevance to self-identity .
  Previous empirical research suggests that the SRHI may be abbreviated with no losses in reliability or predictive utility .
  Drawing on recent theorising suggesting that automaticity is the ‘ active ingredient ’ of habit-behaviour relationships , we tested whether an automaticity-specific SRHI subscale could capture habit-based behaviour patterns in self-report data .