A community development perspective on behaviour change programs for men

This thesis utilised the inductive Grounded Community Development Research method to examine programs that aim to educate men in non-violent, abusive and controlling ways of relating to others. This study concluded with specific recommendations including working more closely with the legal system, assessing long term program outcomes and improving partner contact.

Safe using messages may not be enough to promote behaviour change amongst injecting drug users who are ambivalent or indifferent towards death

Health promotion strategies ultimately rely on people perceiving the consequences of their behaviour as negative. If someone is indifferent towards death, it would logically follow that health promotion messages such as safe using messages would have little resonance. This study aimed to investigate attitudes towards death in a group of injecting drug users (IDUs) and how such attitudes may impact upon the efficacy/relevance of 'safe using' (health promotion) messages.

Understanding drivers and barriers : the key to water use behaviour change

In southwest Victoria, like many other regions in Australia, drought, climate change and population growth have exposed gaps in water supply. To develop effective demand management strategies for rural and regional areas, this paper investigates the drivers and barriers to water saving in southwest Victoria. Although the majority of people felt water saving was important, the drivers for water saving differed between different groups. Residential users were saving water for altruistic reasons, while for farmers the drivers were farm viability and productivity. Although the barriers differed between property types, common barriers included lack of understanding of the impact their water use has on supplies, lack of knowledge, the pricing system and distrust of the water authority. The findings provide information for effective demand management strategies for the region.

Motivational interviewing techniques : facilitating behaviour change in the general practice setting

Background: One of the biggest challenges that primary care practitioners face is helping people change longstanding behaviours that pose significant health risks.

Objective: To explore current understanding regarding how and why people change, and the potential role of motivational interviewing in facilitating behaviour change in the general practice setting.

Discussion: Research into health related behaviour change highlights the importance of motivation, ambivalence and resistance. Motivational interviewing is a counselling method that involves enhancing a patient's motivation to change by means of four guiding principles, represented by the acronym RULE: Resist the righting reflex; Understand the patient's own motivations; Listen with empathy; and Empower the patient. Recent meta-analyses show that motivational interviewing is effective for decreasing alcohol and drug use in adults and adolescents and evidence is accumulating in others areas of health including smoking cessation, reducing sexual risk behaviours, improving adherence to treatment and medication and diabetes management.

Social marketing and behaviour change : where to from here?

'This is essential reading for social marketing practitioners, researchers and students. the book describes a comprehensive range of behavior change theories of relevance to social marketing and is complemented with illustrative case ...

A path model of psychosocial and health behaviour change predictors of excessive gestational weight gain

This study aimed to evaluate a conceptual model of psychosocial, behaviour change, and behavioural predictors of excessive gestational weight gain (GWG). Background: Excessive GWG can place women and their babies at risk of poor health outcomes, including obesity. Models of psychosocial and behaviour change predictors of excessive GWG have not been extensively explored; understanding the mechanisms leading to excess GWG will provide crucial evidence towards the development of effective interventions. Method: Two hundred and eighty-eight pregnant women (≤18 weeks gestation) were recruited to a prospective study. Demographic, psychosocial, health behaviour change, and behavioural factors were assessed at 17 (Time 1, T1) and 33 weeks (Time 2, T2) gestation. Pre-pregnancy and final pregnancy weight were obtained and women were classified with/without excessive GWG. Logistic regressions refined the list of predictors of excessive GWG; variables with p < .1 were included in a path analysis. Results: Age, family income, T2 depression, T2 pregnancy-specific coping, T1 buttocks dissatisfaction, T2 GWG-specific self-efficacy, T1 dietary readiness, T1 dietary importance, and T1 vegetable intake predicted excessive GWG in the logistic regressions and were included in the path model. The baseline path model demonstrated poor fit. Once statistically and theoretically plausible paths were added, adequate model fit was achieved (χ² = 21.61(9), p < .05; RMSEA = .07; CFI = .93); this revised model explained 19.5% of the variance in excessive GWG. Women with high T1 buttocks dissatisfaction were more likely to exhibit low levels of dietary readiness. Women with low dietary readiness were more likely to have a lower vegetable intake, which predicted excessive GWG. Women with higher T2 depressive symptoms were more likely to report lower GWG self-efficacy and gain excessively. Conclusion: Future behavioural GWG trials should consider combining psychosocial and health behaviour change factors to optimise GWG.

Efficacy of a workplace osteoporosis prevention intervention: a cluster randomized trial

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is a debilitating disease. Adequate calcium consumption and physical activity are the two major modifiable risk factors. This paper describes the major outcomes and efficacy of a workplace-based targeted behaviour change intervention to improve the dietary and physical activity behaviours of working women in sedentary occupations in Singapore.

METHODS: A cluster-randomized design was used, comparing the efficacy of a tailored intervention to standard care. Workplaces were the units of randomization and intervention. Sixteen workplaces were recruited from a pool of 97, and randomly assigned to intervention and control arms (eight workplaces in each). Women meeting specified inclusion criteria were then recruited to participate. Workplaces in the intervention arm received three participatory workshops and organization-wide educational activities. Workplaces in the control/standard care arm received print resources. Outcome measures were calcium intake (milligrams/day) and physical activity level (duration: minutes/week), measured at baseline, 4 weeks and 6 months post intervention. Adjusted cluster-level analyses were conducted comparing changes in intervention versus control groups, following intention-to-treat principles and CONSORT guidelines.

RESULTS: Workplaces in the intervention group reported a significantly greater increase in calcium intake and duration of load-bearing moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) compared with the standard care control group. Four weeks after intervention, the difference in adjusted mean calcium intake was 343.2 mg/day (95 % CI = 337.4 to 349.0, p < .0005) and the difference in adjusted mean load-bearing MVPA was 55.6 min/week (95 % CI = 54.5 to 56.6, p < .0005). Six months post intervention, the mean differences attenuated slightly to 290.5 mg/day (95 % CI = 285.3 to 295.7, p < .0005) and 50.9 min/week (95 % CI =49.3 to 52.6, p < .0005) respectively.

CONCLUSION: This workplace-based intervention substantially improved calcium intake and load-bearing moderate to vigorous physical activity 6 months after the intervention began. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry ACTRN12616000079448 . Registered 25 January 2016 (retrospectively registered).