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. 2024 Dec;31(6):987-1017.
doi: 10.1007/s12529-024-10305-2. Epub 2024 Jul 15.

Physical Activity Interventions Framed by the Health Action Process Approach for Adults with Long-Term Conditions: A Scoping Review

Amy L Silva-Smith  1 , Coral L Hanson  2   3 , Lis Neubeck  2   3 , Anne Rowat  4 , Sheona McHale  2   3
Affiliations

Physical Activity Interventions Framed by the Health Action Process Approach for Adults with Long-Term Conditions: A Scoping Review

Amy L Silva-Smith et al. Int J Behav Med. 2024 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Interventions that use the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) model show promise for increasing PA frequency, duration, and intensity. However, there is limited understanding of how HAPA model variables have been operationalized for PA interventions in chronic disease to promote behavior change and sustained PA or whether the phase or continuous form of the HAPA model was used. The aim of this scoping review is to describe how the HAPA model variables for PA interventions were operationalized and provide details of implementation.

Method: We searched five databases to identify studies published between January 1992 and March 2024. We aimed to describe (1) the characteristics of interventions including setting, delivery mode, duration, and content; (2) which HAPA variables were operationalized and the strategies used; and (3) the physical activity measures and outcome effects.

Results: The search identified 23 interventions in 30 papers (12 protocols, 3 quasi-experimental studies, and 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)). Seven of the 15 RCTs reported significant positive effects of the HAPA model on PA behavior outcomes. Interventions operationalized between three and nine HAPA constructs showed significant variability in how the HAPA model is used in intervention research. PA measures varied from self-report to validated objective instruments.

Conclusion: We found a lack of clarity in decisions about which HAPA constructs were included in interventions. The wide variability in operationalized HAPA constructs made it challenging to compare interventions. Researchers should provide more detail about intervention design and implementation procedures to enhance transparency.

Keywords: Health action process approach; Intervention; Long-term conditions; Physical activity.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate: This paper is a review of published studies. Ethics approval was not required. This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. Consent for Publication: All authors reviewed the final version and consented to publication. Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Constructs associated with each HAPA phase
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
PRISMA-ScR flowchart
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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