School of Social and Health Sciences, James Cook University Singapore, Singapore 387380, Singapore.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Mar 24;19(7):3883. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19073883.
The intention-behaviour gap has been a barrier to health behavioural change. A total of 85 participants (aged 18-56 years) were recruited for a study that examined how two types of planning (Action and Coping) could bridge the intention-behaviour gap and increase physical exercise behaviours. The online study took place over two weeks, with participants completing pre- and post- measures of past exercise habits, intentions to exercise, subsequent physical exercise behaviours, intrinsic motivation levels, and engagement in action and coping planning. A hierarchical regression analysis showed that intentions, past exercise habits and action planning were significant predictors of change in physical exercise behaviours. Positive correlations were observed between participants' past habits and their exercise behaviours during the study. 71.8% of participants met the World Health Organization's (WHO) recommended guidelines for physical activity at the end of the study compared to the initial 58.8%, which evidences a significant increase in participant physical exercise behaviours. Our findings revealed that while intentions are important predictors for behavioural change, cultivating habits to engage in regular exercise seems to outweigh the significance of intentions. Moreover, action planning could be a helpful intervention to bridge the intention-behaviour gap to increase overall physical exercise behaviours. In the long-term, this would improve an individual's mental and physical wellbeing and potentially alleviate the costly burden on public health services.
意图-行为差距一直是健康行为改变的障碍。共有 85 名参与者（年龄在 18-56 岁之间）参加了一项研究，该研究旨在探讨两种类型的计划（行动和应对）如何弥合意图-行为差距并增加体育锻炼行为。这项在线研究持续了两周，参与者完成了过去锻炼习惯、锻炼意图、随后的体育锻炼行为、内在动机水平以及行动和应对计划参与情况的预测量和后测量。分层回归分析表明，意图、过去的锻炼习惯和行动规划是体育锻炼行为变化的重要预测因素。研究期间，参与者的过去习惯和他们的锻炼行为之间存在正相关关系。与研究开始时的 58.8%相比，71.8%的参与者在研究结束时达到了世界卫生组织（WHO）推荐的体育活动指南，这表明参与者的体育锻炼行为显著增加。我们的研究结果表明，虽然意图是行为改变的重要预测因素，但培养习惯以进行定期锻炼似乎比意图更重要。此外，行动规划可能是一种有用的干预措施，可以弥合意图-行为差距，从而增加整体体育锻炼行为。从长远来看，这将改善个人的身心健康，并可能减轻公共卫生服务的昂贵负担。
