Küng Pascal, Berli Corina, Höhener Patrick S, Tobias Robert, Scholz Urte
Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, CH-8050 Zurich, Switzerland.
Institute of Psychology, University of Bern, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Ann Behav Med. 2025 Jan 4;59(1). doi: 10.1093/abm/kaae093.
Physical activity is essential for health and wellbeing. However, many individuals fail to reach the recommended levels and obesity rates are increasing. Health-related social control refers to strategies employed by 1 person (agent) to influence another person's (target) health behavior. These strategies can be classified into persuasion (eg, encouraging or motivating) or pressure (eg, nagging or coercing). However, much of the existing research is cross-sectional and mostly focuses on the experiences of the targets.
This study investigates how persuasion and pressure within overweight romantic couples relate to outcomes in both agents and targets. Specifically, it examines same-day associations with positive and negative affect, as well as physical activity.
This study is a secondary analysis of the 14-day follow-up period from a randomized controlled trial. Accelerometers and daily diaries tracked 99 overweight romantic couples. For each outcome and each partner, separate multilevel models were fitted.
Daily persuasion used by agents was associated with increased physical activity in targets and a more favorable affect in agents. Daily pressure was not associated with the physical activity of either partner but was linked to a more unfavorable affect in the agent. Both persuasion and pressure were unrelated to the targets' affect.
Health-related social control in romantic relationships relates to same-day outcomes of both agents and targets. Our findings suggest that health behavior change interventions and weight loss programs could benefit from encouraging persuasion and limiting pressure.
身体活动对健康和幸福至关重要。然而，许多人未能达到推荐水平，且肥胖率在不断上升。与健康相关的社会控制是指一个人（施动者）用来影响另一个人（目标对象）健康行为的策略。这些策略可分为劝说（如鼓励或激励）或施压（如唠叨或强迫）。然而，现有的许多研究都是横断面研究，且大多关注目标对象的经历。
本研究调查超重情侣中的劝说和施压如何与施动者和目标对象的结果相关。具体而言，研究考察其与当日积极和消极情绪以及身体活动的关联。
本研究是对一项随机对照试验14天随访期的二次分析。加速度计和每日日记追踪了99对超重情侣。针对每个结果和每个伴侣，分别拟合了多层模型。
施动者每日的劝说与目标对象身体活动增加以及施动者更积极的情绪有关。每日的施压与任何一方伴侣的身体活动均无关联，但与施动者更消极的情绪有关。劝说和施压均与目标对象的情绪无关。
恋爱关系中与健康相关的社会控制与施动者和目标对象的当日结果相关。我们的研究结果表明，健康行为改变干预措施和减肥计划可受益于鼓励劝说和限制施压。
