What is a habit? Diverse mechanisms that can produce sustained behavior change

Short- and long-term effects of incentives on prosocial behavior: The case of ride vouchers to a blood collection agency

This study addresses the challenge of low blood donation rates in developing countries by examining the effectiveness of a barrier-removal incentive-a one-day transportation voucher-to promote blood donation. Utilizing a longitudinal dataset of 23,750 donors from a Brazilian blood collection agency (BCA) collected between March 2018 and May 2020, we examine the short and long-term effects of this campaign on donation rates. Our results show that the incentive had a large positive influence on both donation attempts and successful donations on the day of the campaign. However, the short-term success of the intervention had an unintended consequence: the significant increase in prospective donors' waiting time at the BCA during the intervention day, which may help explain the negative impact on return rates in the 24-month follow-up. Despite these opposing outcomes, the net effect of the one-day blood donation incentive was still positive, offering valuable insights for BCAs aiming to enhance donor recruitment and retention strategies and emphasizing the need to balance immediate benefits with potential long-term impacts.

Influence of conventional driving habits on takeover performance in joystick-controlled autonomous vehicles: A low-speed field experiment

Takeover is a critical factor in the safety of autonomous driving. Takeover refers to the action of a human driver assuming control of an autonomous vehicle from its automated driving system. This can occur when the vehicle encounters a situation it cannot handle, when the system requests the driver to take control, or when the driver chooses to intervene for safety or other reasons. This study explored how traditional steering-wheel driving habits affect takeover performance in joystick-controlled autonomous vehicles. We conducted an experiment using a joystick-controlled Dongfeng Sharing-VAN autonomous vehicle in a low-speed campus environment. The participants were divided into three groups based on their driving experience: the individuals who have no licence and no experience (NN Group), the drivers who have licence but not experienced (HN Group), and the drivers who have licence and have been experienced (HH Group), representing varying levels of driving habits. The experiment focused on two takeover tasks: passive takeover and active takeover. We evaluated takeover performance using takeover time and takeover quality as key metrics. The results from the passive takeover task indicated that traditional driving habits had a significant negative impact on takeover performance. The HH Group took 2.65 s longer to complete the task compared to the NN Group, while the HN Group took 3.78 s longer. When we analyzed takeover time in stages, the initial stage showed the most significant difference in takeover time among the three groups. In the active takeover task, driving habits did not significantly affect takeover braking in front of obstacles in a low-speed driving environment. These findings suggest that conventional driving habits can hinder passive takeover in joystick-controlled autonomous vehicles. This insight can be valuable for developing training programs and guidelines for drivers transitioning from conventional to autonomous driving.

Feasibility of a remotely monitored blood alcohol concentration device to facilitate treatment motivation

Background

Consistent monitoring of blood alcohol concentration through breathalyzers is critical for identifying reoccurrence. Little research has effectively utilized convenient wireless enabled breathalyzers that can measure blood alcohol concentration while enhancing treatment motivation for outpatient care. The current study attempted to understand the impact of wireless breathalyzers on treatment motivation and self-efficacy in remaining sober for individuals diagnosed with alcohol use disorder in an outpatient treatment facility.

Methods

Participants were assigned to one of two conditions: the experimental breathalyzer and the treatment as usual group. The groups were assessed by the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (URICA), and on self-efficacy, measured by the Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale (AASE). The evaluation period took place over three months with a six-week follow-up evaluation. During the entirety of the evaluation period and post-study follow up, interviews occurred.

Results

As a secondary analysis, the URICA's motivational scores were higher for participants receiving the experimental intervention at a two-month evaluation and at the six-week follow-up. The AASE's temptation to reoccurrence scores significantly reduced over time for both groups. The confidence to resist temptation was not significant. Three major themes emerged from the interviews, including the benefit of the breathalyzer facilitating their treatment, ease of device use, and technical issues.

Conclusions

The insights gained from this study will be important to develop cost-effective ancillary interventions for comprehensive alcohol dependence treatment. On-going monitoring enabled by new technology allows treatment providers to take an individualized disease-management approach as well as facilitating timely interventions by the treatment provider.

Developing habit-based health behaviour change interventions: twenty-one questions to guide future research

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.

Establishing Healthy Eating 'Habits': A Pilot Randomised Controlled Trial of a Habit-Based Dietary Intervention following Oral Rehabilitation for Older Adults

An ageing population presents significant nutritional challenges, particularly for partially dentate adults. This two-armed pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) compared habit formation (automaticity) for healthy eating behaviours between control and intervention groups after participation in a habit-based dietary intervention for older adults, following oral rehabilitation in the United Kingdom (UK). n = 54 participants were randomised to receive a habit-based dietary intervention (intervention group n = 27, IG) or standard dietary advice in a leaflet (control group n = 27, CG). The IG attended three sessions over six weeks, which focused on habit formation for three healthy eating behaviours (increasing fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, and healthy proteins). Participants were assessed for habit strength (using the Self-Report Behavioural Automaticity Index (SRBAI)) alongside health and nutrition outcomes at six weeks, four months and eight months. Forty-nine participants completed all follow-up visits. The IG compared to the CG had significant increases in automaticity at six weeks, four months (primary outcome) and eight months for eating ≥3 portions of fruit and vegetables; choosing wholegrain sources over white alternatives, and choosing healthy protein sources over red/processed meat. The mean change in the Mini Nutritional Assessment total score was greater in the IG compared with the CG at six weeks only (p = 0.03). A habit-based dietary intervention following oral rehabilitation increased automaticity for healthy dietary behaviours, which could translate into clinically meaningful benefits in this cohort of older adults.

A worldwide assessment of changes in adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours and hypothesized pandemic fatigue

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, the possibility of 'pandemic fatigue' has raised worldwide concerns. Here, we examine whether there was a gradual reduction in adherence to protective behaviours against COVID-19 from March through December 2020, as hypothesized in expectations of fatigue. We considered self-report behaviours from representative samples of the populations of 14 countries (N = 238,797), as well as mobility and policy data for 124 countries. Our results show that changes in adherence were empirically meaningful and geographically widespread. While a low-cost and habituating behaviour (mask wearing) exhibited a linear rise in adherence, high-cost and sensitizing behaviours (physical distancing) declined, but this decline decelerated over time, with small rebounds seen in later months. Reductions in adherence to physical distancing showed little difference across societal groups, but were less intense in countries with high interpersonal trust. Alternative underlying mechanisms and policy implications are discussed.

A worldwide assessment of changes in adherence to COVID-19 protective behaviours and hypothesized pandemic fatigue

As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers, the possibility of 'pandemic fatigue' has raised worldwide concerns. Here, we examine whether there was a gradual reduction in adherence to protective behaviours against COVID-19 from March through December 2020, as hypothesized in expectations of fatigue. We considered self-report behaviours from representative samples of the populations of 14 countries (N = 238,797), as well as mobility and policy data for 124 countries. Our results show that changes in adherence were empirically meaningful and geographically widespread. While a low-cost and habituating behaviour (mask wearing) exhibited a linear rise in adherence, high-cost and sensitizing behaviours (physical distancing) declined, but this decline decelerated over time, with small rebounds seen in later months. Reductions in adherence to physical distancing showed little difference across societal groups, but were less intense in countries with high interpersonal trust. Alternative underlying mechanisms and policy implications are discussed.

Motives, mentalities and dietary change: An exploration of the factors that drive and sustain alternative dietary lifestyles

Any transition to a sustainable food system will require long-term changes in consumer behaviour, including a major reduction in the proportion of animal-based foods in people's diets. Such long-term dietary changes have widely been found difficult to achieve, however, since eating behaviors are interlinked with habits and lifestyles. In order to attain a better understanding of the driving forces that guide and support changes in eating patterns, this study identifies some of the key factors that lead people not only to adopt alternative dietary lifestyles but also to sustain these lifestyles over the long term. A generic qualitative methodology was used to gather and analyse qualitative data on the food-related motivations and identities of 17 long-term 'alternative dieters'. Our content analysis of this data revealed the following three factors to be particularly relevant in motivations for dietary change: (1) the experience of a 'key moment'; (2) the accumulation of knowledge; and (3) health concerns. While our findings show that the experience of key moments tends to catalyse immediate behavioral responses, changes due to knowledge and health concerns appear to lead to more gradual and organized processes of change. Regarding the mentalities that seem to reinforce and help sustain the transition to long-lasting alternative diets, our study identified three further characteristics: (1) self-reflectiveness; (2) responsibility; and (3) interconnectedness. Overall, our findings provide valuable insights into the key drivers that initiate processes of long-lasting dietary change as well as the mentalities that serve to underpin and sustain such changes. Follow-up research with a largersample of participants is recommended to confirm and further explore these characteristics as a means of informing policies aiming at achieving a transition to more sustainable food systems.