Habits and behaviour change

Our applied research aims to understand and change habit in a range of domains, including health and environment-related behaviours.

Applying habit to real-world behaviours

Among the questions we investigate are the following:

How can we change people's habits?
Which methods are best for making or breaking habits?

How can we change people’s habits?

GARDNER, B., Rebar, A., de Wit, S., & LALLY, P. (2024) What is habit and how can it be used to change real-world behaviour? Narrowing the theory-reality gap. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18, e12975.

GARDNER, B., & Rebar, A.L. (2019) Habit formation and behaviour change. Oxford Research Encyclopedia.

GARDNER, B., Rebar, A., & LALLY, P. (2020) Habit interventions. In M.S. Hagger, L.D. Cameron, K. Hamilton, N. Hankonen, T. Lintunen (Eds), The Handbook of Behaviour Change (pp 599-616). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Example habit change interventions

LALLY, P., Kennedy, F., Smith, S., Beeken, R., Buch, C., Thomas, C., Counsell, N., Wyld, L. Martin, C., Williams, S., Roberts, A., Greenfield, D., Jacqui, G., Potts, H., Latimer, N., Smith, L., & Fisher, A. (2024). The feasibility and acceptability of an app-based intervention with brief behavioural support (APPROACH) to promote brisk walking in people diagnosed with breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer in the UK. Cancer Medicine. 13, e7124.

LALLY, P., Miller, N., Roberts, A., Beeken, R. J., Greenfield, D. M., Potts, H. W. W., Counsell, N., Latimer, N., Thomas, C., Smith, L., Gath, J., Kennedy, F., Martin, C., Wyld, L. & Fisher, A. (2022). An app with brief behavioural support to promote physical activity after a cancer diagnosis (APPROACH): study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 8, 74.

LALLY, P., Chipperfield, A., & Wardle, J. (2008). Healthy habits: efficacy of simple advice on weight control based on a habit-formation model. International Journal of Obesity, 32, 700-707.

McGowan, L., Cooke, L.J., GARDNER, B., Beeken, R., Croker, H., & Wardle, J. (2013) Healthy feeding habits: efficacy results from a cluster-randomized, controlled exploratory trial of a novel, habit-based intervention with parents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98, 769-777.

White, I., Smith, L., Aggio, D., Shankar, S., Begum, S., Matei, R., Fox, K.R., Hamer, M., Iliffe, S., Jefferis, B.J., Tyler, N., & GARDNER, B. (2017) On Your Feet to Earn Your Seat: Pilot RCT of a theory-based sedentary behaviour reduction intervention for older adults. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 3, 23.

Script elicitation - a new method for identifying and changing habitually executed routines

Mohideen, A., Bouvin, C., Judah, G., Picariello, F., & GARDNER, B. (2023). Feasibility and acceptability of a personalised script-elicitation method for improving evening sleep hygiene habits. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 11, 2162904.

Peer, W., Mathews, R.R., Ng, X., Wong, W.H.C., & GARDNER, B. (2024) Can ‘Script Elicitation’ Methods Be Used to Promote Physical Activity? An Acceptability Study. Behavioral Sciences, 14, 572.

Sitting habits

ten Broeke, P., GARDNER, B., Beckers, D., Geurts, S., & Bijleveld, E. (2023). Why do people sit? A framework for targeted behavior change. Health Psychology Review, 17, 641-654.

Dewitt, S., Hall, J., Smith, L., Buckley, J., Biddle, S.J.H., Mansfield, L., & GARDNER, B. (2019) Office workers’ experiences of attempts to reduce sitting-time: An exploratory, mixed-methods uncontrolled intervention pilot study. BMC Public Health, 19, 819.

GARDNER, B., Mainsbridge, C., Rebar, A. L., Cooley, D., Honan, C., O'Brien, J., & Pedersen, S. (2024) Breaking the habit? Identifying discrete dimensions of sitting automaticity and their responsiveness to a sitting-reduction intervention. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 55-63.

Child-feeding habits

Engels, L., Mons, C., Mergelsberg, E., Kothe, E., Hamilton, K., GARDNER, B., ten Hoor, G., & Mullan, B. (2022) How to improve the diet of toddlers? The feasibility of an online, habit-based intervention targeting parental feeding behaviour. Health Psychology and Behavioural Medicine, 10, 1020-1037.

GARDNER, B., Sheals, K., Wardle, J., & McGowan, L. (2014) Putting habit into practice, and practice into habit: A process evaluation and exploration of the acceptability of a habit-based behavior change intervention. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 11, 135.

McGowan, L., Cooke, L.J., GARDNER, B., Beeken, R., Croker, H., & Wardle, J. (2013) Healthy feeding habits: efficacy results from a cluster-randomized, controlled exploratory trial of a novel, habit-based intervention with parents. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98, 769-777.

Sleep habits

Diaz, M., Ovalle Patino, E., Oliver, S., Tiab, S. S., Salazar, N., Song, J., Dong, L., Sarfan, L.D., Susman, E. S., Agnew, E. R., GARDNER, B., & Harvey, A. (2024). Integrating habit science and Learning Theory to promote maintenance of behavior change: Does adding text messages to a habit-based sleep health intervention (HABITs) improve outcomes for eveningness chronotype young adults? Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 25, 782.

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