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. 2023 Jul 30;11(1):2242484.
doi: 10.1080/21642850.2023.2242484. eCollection 2023.

Awareness of a disconnect between the value assigned to health and the effort devoted to health increases the intention to become more physically active

Lorraine L Landais  1   2   3 , Judith G M Jelsma  1   2   3 , Evert A L M Verhagen  1   2   4 , Danielle R M Timmermans  1   3 , Olga C Damman  1   3
Affiliations

Awareness of a disconnect between the value assigned to health and the effort devoted to health increases the intention to become more physically active

Lorraine L Landais et al. Health Psychol Behav Med. .

Abstract

Background: Intrinsic values and priorities influence decision-making and are, therefore, important to consider explicitly in intervention development. Although health is generally considered an important value, individuals often make unhealthy choices, indicating a values disconnect.

Study aim: To investigate how becoming aware of a disconnect between the value assigned to health and the effort devoted to health is related to intentions and commitment for behavioural change and physical activity among inactive adults.

Methods: We performed a secondary exploratory analysis on previously collected data. The intervention included a values exercise based on the Disconnected Values Model (DVM) that made disconnected values explicit to participants in two study arms. We compared participants with a disconnect (n = 138) with participants without a disconnect (n = 101) regarding intentions and commitment for behavioural change and physical activity and sitting time 2-4 weeks follow-up. Logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to analyse the data.

Results: Between-group differences were found for the intention to devote more effort to health (OR = 3.75; 95%CI: 2.05; 6.86) and for the intention to become more physically active (OR = 2.21; 95%CI: 1.10; 4.46), indicating that significantly more participants with a disconnect were motivated to change, compared to participants without a disconnect. No between-group differences were found for commitment, intention strength, follow-up physical activity and sitting time.

Conclusion: Making explicit a disconnect regarding health in an active choice intervention was associated with intentions to become more physically active. Still, it did not translate in significant behaviour change at 2-4 weeks follow-up.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04973813. Retrospectively registered.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04973813..

Keywords: Physical activity; active choice; decision making; disconnected values model; web-based intervention.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Study design. Abbreviations: PA Physical activity. We included active choice group participants of the original trial in the current study. The current study focusses on the values exercise, comparing participants with a disconnect with those that had no disconnect in this exercise. Outcomes were assessed pre-intervention (T0), post-intervention (T1) and at follow-up (T2).
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
A component of the values exercise that presented participants with their ratings for the importance of health and the time, effort, and energy devoted to health in the past year. In the values exercise, participants were presented their ratings for the importance of health and the time, effort, and energy devoted to health in the past year and asked to compare those ratings. Subsequently, they were asked whether they were willing to spend more time, effort and energy on their health.
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