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. 2022 Jun;45(3):391-403.
doi: 10.1007/s10865-022-00309-2. Epub 2022 Apr 1.

Momentary intentions and perceived behavioral control are within-person predictors of sedentary leisure time: preliminary findings from an ecological momentary assessment study in adolescents

Shayan Ebrahimian  1 , Jennifer Zink  1 , Chih-Hsiang Yang  2 , Qihan Yu  1 , Kellie Imm  1 , Michele Nicolo  1 , Genevieve F Dunton  1   3 , Britni R Belcher  4
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Momentary intentions and perceived behavioral control are within-person predictors of sedentary leisure time: preliminary findings from an ecological momentary assessment study in adolescents

Shayan Ebrahimian et al. J Behav Med. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Previous studies among adolescents conceptualize behavioral cognitions [e.g., intentions and perceived behavioral control (PBC)] as stable trait-like factors despite evidence suggesting they vary momentarily. We examined whether intentions and PBC momentarily relate to subsequent sedentary time during non-school periods. Healthy adolescents (N = 15, ages 11-15) reported their intentions and PBC regarding sedentary leisure behaviors via ecological momentary assessment (EMA) up to seven times/day for 14 days. Sedentary time in the two hours following each EMA prompt was measured by ActivPAL accelerometers. When participants reported greater sedentary intentions (within-person β = 1.1, 95% CI 0.2, 2.1, p = 0.0213) and sedentary PBC (within-person β = 1.7, 95% CI 0.6, 2.8, p = 0.0029), they accumulated greater sedentary time. This demonstrates that sedentary intentions and PBC are acutely associated with sedentary time among adolescents. Our findings highlight the potential for implementing just-in-time activity interventions among adolescents during at-risk periods within the day, characterized by deviations from one's usual intentions and PBC levels.

Keywords: Behavioral cognitions; Intensive longitudinal data; Theory of Planned Behavior; Within-day; Youth.

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