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Behavioral Sciences
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The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health
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The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health

A special issue of Behavioral Sciences (ISSN 2076-328X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2024) | Viewed by 9276

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Gaby Judah

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NIHR North West London Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC), Institute of Global Health Innovation (IGHI), Imperial College London, London, UK
Interests: behaviour change; predictors of health-related behaviours; cancer screening; medication adherence; improving patient safety
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Several public health challenges are caused by unhealthy behaviour, or lack of engagement with health behaviours. Examples of these behaviours are lack of healthy eating or exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, poor mediation adherence, or lack of engagement with preventative healthcare (e.g., cancer screening and vaccination). These behaviours affect quality of life, health outcomes, and health inequalities.

Using behavioural science can help to effectively change behaviours affecting public health. This Special Issue is inviting manuscripts which describe the application of behavioural science to public health challenges.  Disciplinary approaches may include health psychology, decision making, user-centred design, and behavioural economics, or others as relevant.  Methodological approaches can include qualitative or quantitative work to understand potentially modifiable determinants of health-related behaviour, such as the barriers and facilitators that affect whether a behaviour is performed, as well as  work to design and test interventions to change behaviour in order to improve health of populations or segments of populations.

There is particular interest in papers applying theories and frameworks to inform the understanding of determinants of behaviours relevant to public health, and the design of interventions to change behaviour.

Dr. Gaby Judah
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Behavioral Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • behavioural science
  • health behaviour change
  • behavioural determinants
  • behavioural interventions
  • public health
  • health psychology

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 1173 KiB  
Article
Psychological Responses to Home-Working Practices: A Network Analysis of Relationships with Health Behaviour and Wellbeing
by Samuel Keightley, Ayla Pollmann, Benjamin Gardner and Myanna Duncan
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(11), 1039; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14111039 - 5 Nov 2024
Viewed by 941
Abstract
Working at home, rather than in the workplace, has been suggested to affect office-based workers’ health and wellbeing. This exploratory, cross-sectional study sought to identify discrete psychological responses to home-working practices and investigate their relationship with engagement in health-related behaviours and wellbeing. A [...] Read more.
Working at home, rather than in the workplace, has been suggested to affect office-based workers’ health and wellbeing. This exploratory, cross-sectional study sought to identify discrete psychological responses to home-working practices and investigate their relationship with engagement in health-related behaviours and wellbeing. A sample of 491 home-workers completed a survey assessing ten psychological responses to home-working (e.g., the ability to ‘switch off’ from work), ten health behaviour indices (e.g., sleep trouble), and seven wellbeing indices. Network Analysis modelled relationships between these variables. Results showed four clusters of psychological responses to home-working practices (representing ‘home-working independence’, ‘home-work transition’, ‘daily work pressure’, and ‘work-day forecasting’). Variables within these clusters linked to health behaviour and wellbeing: perceptions of workload manageability, ability to switch off from work, homeworking autonomy, and planning and organising a home-working day had cascading influences on indicators of health, health behaviours, and wellbeing. The findings point to a complex system of potential health and wellbeing consequences of working from home. Further evidence is needed to establish truly causal relationships; nonetheless, our findings call for the development of public health initiatives and organisational policies to support the adoption of home-working practices to benefit the health and wellbeing of home-workers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health)
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17 pages, 1124 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Short-Form Video and Optimistic Bias on Engagement in Oral Health Prevention: Integrating a KAP Model
by Donghwa Chung, Jiaqi Wang and Yanfang Meng
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 968; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100968 - 18 Oct 2024
Viewed by 991
Abstract
College students are recognized as a demographic particularly susceptible to higher oral health risks due to irregular and unhealthy habits. While previous research has underscored these risks through descriptive studies within this group, a significant gap persists in the literature regarding the impact [...] Read more.
College students are recognized as a demographic particularly susceptible to higher oral health risks due to irregular and unhealthy habits. While previous research has underscored these risks through descriptive studies within this group, a significant gap persists in the literature regarding the impact of contemporary media, specifically oral-health-related content, on the engagement in oral health prevention among Chinese college students. To address this gap, this study, guided by the extended knowledge–attitude–practice (KAP) theory model, explores the direct, mediated, and serially mediated mechanisms through which exposure to oral health short-form videos on Douyin influences their participation in oral health prevention. An empirical cross-sectional online survey was conducted, with valid data (N = 421) analyzed using descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression. Mediation and serial mediation analyses were also performed using SPSS version 25.0. The analysis revealed that exposure to oral health short-form videos had a positive direct effect on both oral health knowledge and the reduction of optimistic bias among Chinese college students. Furthermore, a significant serial mediation effect of oral health knowledge and oral health attitude was identified. The findings underscore the substantial applicability and explanatory power of the extended KAP theory model in understanding engagement in oral health prevention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health)
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14 pages, 559 KiB  
Article
Physical Activity Behaviour and Motivation During and Following Pulmonary and Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Repeated Measures Study
by Kristie Lee Alfrey, Benjamin Gardner, Jenni Judd, Christopher D. Askew, Corneel Vandelanotte and Amanda L. Rebar
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(10), 965; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100965 - 17 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1291
Abstract
Background: Exercise rehabilitation programmes are important for long-term health and wellbeing among people with cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Despite this, many people struggle to maintain their physical activity once rehabilitation ends. This repeated measures study tracked changes in physical activity behaviour and motivation [...] Read more.
Background: Exercise rehabilitation programmes are important for long-term health and wellbeing among people with cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Despite this, many people struggle to maintain their physical activity once rehabilitation ends. This repeated measures study tracked changes in physical activity behaviour and motivation during and after completing a community-based exercise rehabilitation programme. Methods: Cardiac and pulmonary exercise rehabilitation patients (N = 31) completed six once-monthly measures of physical activity (MET·min), self-determined motivation, intention, and habit strength for rehabilitation exercise (within rehabilitation sessions) and lifestyle physical activity (outside of rehabilitation sessions). Linear regression and random effects models with estimated marginal means were used to test for associations between physical activity motivation and behaviour and change during and post-rehabilitation. Results: Overall physical activity decreased after rehabilitation (823 MET·min) despite patients becoming more self-determined for lifestyle physical activity during rehabilitation. More self-determined motivation, stronger intentions, and stronger habits were associated with more lifestyle physical activity behaviour. However, none of these motivation variables were significantly associated with rehabilitation exercise behaviour. Conclusions: Among community-based cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation patients, physical activity levels decreased following exercise rehabilitation programmes. The findings revealed clear distinctions in the motivation of rehabilitation exercise compared to lifestyle physical activity. Exercise rehabilitation programmes might improve the longevity of outcomes by integrating approaches to enhance lifestyle physical activity beyond the clinic. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health)
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15 pages, 5238 KiB  
Article
What Is Behavioral Complexity? Lay Perceptions of Characteristics of Complex Behavior
by Indita Dorina, Barbara Mullan, Mark Boyes and Thomas McAlpine
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(8), 730; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14080730 - 22 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1029
Abstract
A behavior’s complexity may impact habit formation, with implications for habit-based public health and environmental intervention designs. However, there are varying conceptualizations of behavioral complexity, hindering the synthesis of findings. To develop a unified definition, the aim of this study was to explore [...] Read more.
A behavior’s complexity may impact habit formation, with implications for habit-based public health and environmental intervention designs. However, there are varying conceptualizations of behavioral complexity, hindering the synthesis of findings. To develop a unified definition, the aim of this study was to explore perceptions of behavioral complexity and identify behaviors that exemplify aspects of complexity. Participants (N = 225) completed a questionnaire concerning the complexity of various health and environmental behaviors, the importance of complexity characteristics previously identified by researchers (novelty, difficulty, steps, planning, immediacy of reward, time, attention, skill, mental resources, self-efficacy, motivation for a behavior, and supportiveness of the context) and demographics. Participants considered all proposed characteristics to be important. Complex behaviors (e.g., abstaining from smoking and taking insulin shots), compared to simple behaviors (e.g., eating fruit and stretching), are more likely to be true to the previously identified characteristics. Perceived complexity is influenced by several salient characteristics. Results may contribute to a synthesized definition and underpin future research to better identify behavior change techniques to foster habitual behaviors of varying complexity. Hence, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers may identify common barriers and facilitators of behavior to target in interventions. However, further research is required to contextualize the findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health)
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12 pages, 967 KiB  
Article
Do Negative Self-Evaluative Emotions Enhance Healthier Food Choices? Exploring the Moderating Role of Self-Affirmation
by Jingwen Li, Yu Chen, Mingcong Tang and Shuangmiao Wang
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 538; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070538 - 26 Jun 2024
Viewed by 1423
Abstract
Negative self-evaluative emotions arise when an individual engages in behavior that is perceived as inadequate or inconsistent with personal or societal norms and values, leading to feelings of inadequacy, shame, and dissatisfaction with oneself. These emotions are a central motivating force for changing [...] Read more.
Negative self-evaluative emotions arise when an individual engages in behavior that is perceived as inadequate or inconsistent with personal or societal norms and values, leading to feelings of inadequacy, shame, and dissatisfaction with oneself. These emotions are a central motivating force for changing unhealthy behaviors. However, negative evaluative emotions may also direct individuals towards defensive reactions such as reactance and avoidance. This can cause negative self-evaluative emotions to be less effective in reducing unhealthy behavior. More importantly, empirical evidence is needed to explore strategies for enhancing the effectiveness of interventions. In this study, we used an online experiment with 100 student participants to examine if increasing self-affirmation can increase the effectiveness of negative self-evaluative emotions in reducing unhealthy food consumption. We found that negative self-evaluative emotions can significantly increase healthy food consumption. However, our analysis did not reveal a significant moderating impact of self-affirmation on the effectiveness of negative self-evaluative emotions in reducing unhealthy consumption. This is the first study to explore the moderating impact of self-affirmation on the effectiveness of negative self-evaluative emotions on health behavioral change, which opens new avenues for studying how to apply the combination of stimulating negative self-evaluative emotions and increasing self-affirmation to induce behavioral change regarding healthy diets and even a broader range of fields. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health)
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16 pages, 267 KiB  
Article
Users’ Experience of Public Cancer Screening Services: Qualitative Research Findings and Implications for Public Health System
by Maria Florencia González Leone, Anna Rosa Donizzetti, Marcella Bianchi, Daniela Lemmo, Maria Luisa Martino, Maria Francesca Freda and Daniela Caso
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(2), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14020139 - 16 Feb 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1445
Abstract
Following the One Health approach, designing multidimensional strategies to orient healthcare in promoting health and preventive processes has become paramount. In particular, in the prevention domain, cancer screening attendance is still unsatisfactory in many populations and requires specific consideration. To this end, following [...] Read more.
Following the One Health approach, designing multidimensional strategies to orient healthcare in promoting health and preventive processes has become paramount. In particular, in the prevention domain, cancer screening attendance is still unsatisfactory in many populations and requires specific consideration. To this end, following a research-intervention logic, this study aims to investigate the experiences and meanings that users of public cancer screening services associate with prevention, particularly participation in the screenings. The experiences of 103 users (96 females; Mage = 54.0; SD = 1.24) of public cancer screening programs in the Campania region (Italy) were collected through interviews. The data collected were analysed following the Grounded Theory Methodology, supported by the software Atlas.ti 8.0. The text material was organised into eight macro-categories: Health and Body; Relationship with Cancer and Diseases; Health Facilities and Health Providers; The Affective Determinants of Cancer Screening Participation; Partners and Children; Physical Sensations and Emotions in the Course of Action; Protective Actions; Promotion and Dissemination. The core category was named Family and Familiarity. Respondents perceived prevention as an act of care for the family and themselves. Our findings support a shift from the idea of taking care of personal health as an individual matter toward considering it as a community issue, according to which resistance to act is overcome for and through the presence of loved ones. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the perspectives of southern Italian users on participation in cancer screening, and provide important insights to guide future actions to promote these public programmes based primarily on the emerging theme of family and familiarity related to screening programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health)

Other

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9 pages, 225 KiB  
Brief Report
Can ‘Script Elicitation’ Methods Be Used to Promote Physical Activity? An Acceptability Study
by William Peer, Ruth R. Mathews, Xueli Ng, Winson Ho Chun Wong and Benjamin Gardner
Behav. Sci. 2024, 14(7), 572; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14070572 - 5 Jul 2024
Viewed by 849
Abstract
Sustaining physical activity may require incorporating activity into everyday routines. Yet, many such routines are executed habitually, so people may not recognise physical activity opportunities. ‘Script Elicitation’—a novel intervention method whereby participants detail the content and structure of their routines and are supported [...] Read more.
Sustaining physical activity may require incorporating activity into everyday routines. Yet, many such routines are executed habitually, so people may not recognise physical activity opportunities. ‘Script Elicitation’—a novel intervention method whereby participants detail the content and structure of their routines and are supported to plan modifications to those routines—has not yet been applied to physical activity. This mixed-methods study assessed the acceptability of Script Elicitation for increasing physical activity among office workers. Eleven UK office workers completed the one-to-one Script Elicitation procedure, describing their typical before-, during-, or after-work routines and receiving guidance on incorporating activity into those routines. One week later, they rated the acceptability of the method and completed a semi-structured interview. Physical activity was self-reported at baseline and at the one-week follow-up. Acceptability was descriptively assessed on two quantitative criteria (no clear decrease in physical activity; above-midpoint acceptability scores) and qualitatively explored via Thematic Analysis. The acceptability criteria were met, and participants reported raised awareness of routines and physical activity increases. Script Elicitation appears potentially suitable for promoting activity within everyday routines. If effectiveness is shown in a more rigorous trial, future work will need to develop script-based methods for efficient delivery at scale as a public health intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Behavioural Science in Improving Public Health)
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