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Behavioral Sciences
Volume 16
Issue 4
10.3390/bs16040535
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Article

A Longitudinal Study Examining Physical Activity Habit Formation

by
Thomas McAlpine
1,2,
Caitlin Liddelow
2,3,
Jessica Charlesworth
1,2,
Enrique Mergelsberg
1,2,
Astrid Green
1,2,
Elizaveta Novoradovskaya
1,2,
Teagan Franz
1,2,
Darren Haywood
4,5,
Frank D. Baughman
2,
Hayley Breare
1,2 and
Barbara Mullan
1,2,*
1
enAble Institute, Faculty of Health Sciences, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
2
School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA 6102, Australia
3
School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
4
Human Performance Research Centre, School of Sport, Exercise, and Rehabilitation, INSIGHT Research Institute, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia
5
Department of Mental Health, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, Fitzroy, VIC 3065, Australia
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(4), 535; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040535
Submission received: 19 November 2025 / Revised: 7 March 2026 / Accepted: 30 March 2026 / Published: 2 April 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Impact of Psychosocial Factors on Health Behaviors)
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Abstract

Habits are important factors that help guide the performance of health behaviours, yet little is known about how habits form following a major context change. To observe the habit trajectory of physical activity engagement and assess the relationship between habit trajectory and theoretical determinants of habit formation, a longitudinal design was used to track physical activity habit trajectory over 12 weeks during COVID-19 lockdowns. Participants (N = 41) selected a cue related to physical activity, to assist in increasing their engagement. At baseline, and every two days, participants reported their behaviour, habit, and cue exposure. Trait self-control, history of physical activity behaviour, and demographic information were also collected at baseline. Physical activity habit strength significantly increased from baseline to the final assessment 12 weeks later; however substantial variability was observed in growth over time and neither the linear nor the logarithmic growth model provided a good fit at the overall level. Nonetheless, higher levels of self-control were significantly related to faster habit strength formation. Individual differences in habit formation require further investigation to better understand why some individuals form habits while others do not.
Keywords: habit; automaticity; physical activity; cues; lockdown habit; automaticity; physical activity; cues; lockdown

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MDPI and ACS Style

McAlpine, T.; Liddelow, C.; Charlesworth, J.; Mergelsberg, E.; Green, A.; Novoradovskaya, E.; Franz, T.; Haywood, D.; Baughman, F.D.; Breare, H.; et al. A Longitudinal Study Examining Physical Activity Habit Formation. Behav. Sci. 2026, 16, 535. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040535

AMA Style

McAlpine T, Liddelow C, Charlesworth J, Mergelsberg E, Green A, Novoradovskaya E, Franz T, Haywood D, Baughman FD, Breare H, et al. A Longitudinal Study Examining Physical Activity Habit Formation. Behavioral Sciences. 2026; 16(4):535. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040535

Chicago/Turabian Style

McAlpine, Thomas, Caitlin Liddelow, Jessica Charlesworth, Enrique Mergelsberg, Astrid Green, Elizaveta Novoradovskaya, Teagan Franz, Darren Haywood, Frank D. Baughman, Hayley Breare, and et al. 2026. "A Longitudinal Study Examining Physical Activity Habit Formation" Behavioral Sciences 16, no. 4: 535. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040535

APA Style

McAlpine, T., Liddelow, C., Charlesworth, J., Mergelsberg, E., Green, A., Novoradovskaya, E., Franz, T., Haywood, D., Baughman, F. D., Breare, H., & Mullan, B. (2026). A Longitudinal Study Examining Physical Activity Habit Formation. Behavioral Sciences, 16(4), 535. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16040535

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