Divine Alison, Astill Sarah
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Br J Health Psychol. 2025 May;30(2):e12795. doi: 10.1111/bjhp.12795.
Habits may enhance the maintenance of physical activity. The aim of this study is to examine if reinforcing implementation intentions increases habit strength and thus physical activity.
Participants (N = 186) were randomized into one of three intervention conditions (imagery vs. implementation intentions vs. combined; implementation intentions and imagery) and a control condition.
Participants were instructed to engage in a physical activity that they would like to start doing, or do more of, over a four-week period. Participants completed measures of physical activity, habit strength, and imagery use (imagery and combined conditions only) pre-intervention, weekly during the intervention, post-intervention, and a 12-week follow-up.
Habit strength increased at week three (p < .001) for those in the combined condition, which was maintained through post-intervention and increased at follow-up (Ps > .05). In the imagery condition, habit strength increased at post-intervention (p = .003) and was maintained at follow-up. Physical activity increased for the combined condition from week two (p < .001) of the intervention, continuing to increase at weeks three (p = .003) and four (p < .001).
Imagery may be an effective intervention to support habit formation. Reinforcing implementation intentions with mental imagery may support habit formation for physical activity behaviour.
习惯可能会增强身体活动的维持。本研究的目的是检验强化执行意图是否会增加习惯强度，从而增加身体活动。
参与者（N = 186）被随机分为三种干预条件之一（意象法与执行意图法与联合法；执行意图法和意象法）和一个对照条件。
参与者被要求在四周内进行一项他们想要开始做或增加频率的身体活动。参与者在干预前、干预期间每周、干预后以及12周随访时完成身体活动、习惯强度和意象使用（仅意象法和联合法条件）的测量。
联合法组参与者在第三周时习惯强度增加（p <.001），干预后持续增加，并在随访时进一步增加（p >.05）。在意象法组中，习惯强度在干预后增加（p =.003），并在随访时保持。联合法组的身体活动从干预的第二周开始增加（p <.001），在第三周（p =.003）和第四周（p <.001）继续增加。
意象法可能是支持习惯形成的有效干预措施。用心理意象强化执行意图可能有助于身体活动行为的习惯形成。
