Benjamin Gardner1, Madelynne A Arden2, Daniel Brown3, Frank F Eves4, James Green5, Kyra Hamilton6, Nelli Hankonen7, Jennifer Inauen8, Jan Keller9, Dominika Kwasnicka10,11, Sarah Labudek12, Hans Marien13, Radomír Masaryk14, Nicola McCleary15,16, Barbara A Mullan17, Efrat Neter18, Sheina Orbell19, Sebastian Potthoff20, Phillippa Lally21. 1. Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. 2. Centre for Behavioural Science and Applied Psychology, Department of Psychology, Sociology & Politics, Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK. 3. Department of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. 4. School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK. 5. School of Allied Health and Physical Activity for Health Research Cluster (Health Research Institute), University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland. 6. Griffith University and Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Mt Gravatt, Qld, Australia. 7. Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. 8. Department of Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland. 9. Division Health Psychology, Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. 10. Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Wrocław, Poland. 11. NHMRC CRE in Digital Technology to Transform Chronic Disease Outcomes, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia. 12. Network Aging Research (NAR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany. 13. Department of Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. 14. Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences, Comenius University Bratislava, Bratislava, Slovakia. 15. Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada. 16. School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada. 17. Behavioural Science and Health Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, Australia. 18. Department of Behavioral Sciences, Ruppin Academic Center, Emeq Hefer, Israel. 19. Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Essex, UK. 20. Department of Social Work, Education, and Community Wellbeing, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. 21. Research Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Habitual behaviours are triggered automatically, with little conscious forethought. Theory suggests that making healthy behaviours habitual, and breaking the habits that underpin many ingrained unhealthy behaviours, promotes long-term behaviour change. This has prompted interest in incorporating habit formation and disruption strategies into behaviour change interventions. Yet, notable research gaps limit understanding of how to harness habit to change real-world behaviours. METHODS: Discussions among health psychology researchers and practitioners, at the 2019 European Health Psychology Society 'Synergy Expert Meeting', generated pertinent questions to guide further research into habit and health behaviour. RESULTS: In line with the four topics discussed at the meeting, 21 questions were identified, concerning: how habit manifests in health behaviour (3 questions); how to form healthy habits (5 questions); how to break unhealthy habits (4 questions); and how to develop and evaluate habit-based behaviour change interventions (9 questions). CONCLUSIONS: While our questions transcend research contexts, accumulating knowledge across studies of specific health behaviours, settings, and populations will build a broader understanding of habit change principles and how they may be embedded into interventions. We encourage researchers and practitioners to prioritise these questions, to further theory and evidence around how to create long-lasting health behaviour change.
OBJECTIVE: Habitual behaviours are triggered automatically, with little conscious forethought. Theory suggests that making healthy behaviours habitual, and breaking the habits that underpin many ingrained unhealthy behaviours, promotes long-term behaviour change. This has prompted interest in incorporating habit formation and disruption strategies into behaviour change interventions. Yet, notable research gaps limit understanding of how to harness habit to change real-world behaviours. METHODS: Discussions among health psychology researchers and practitioners, at the 2019 European Health Psychology Society 'Synergy Expert Meeting', generated pertinent questions to guide further research into habit and health behaviour. RESULTS: In line with the four topics discussed at the meeting, 21 questions were identified, concerning: how habit manifests in health behaviour (3 questions); how to form healthy habits (5 questions); how to break unhealthy habits (4 questions); and how to develop and evaluate habit-based behaviour change interventions (9 questions). CONCLUSIONS: While our questions transcend research contexts, accumulating knowledge across studies of specific health behaviours, settings, and populations will build a broader understanding of habit change principles and how they may be embedded into interventions. We encourage researchers and practitioners to prioritise these questions, to further theory and evidence around how to create long-lasting health behaviour change.
Entities:
Keywords:
Habit; automaticity; behaviour change; behaviour change techniques; health behaviour