The automatic component of habit in health behavior: habit as cue-contingent automaticity. Targeting habits in anorexia nervosa: a proof-of-concept randomized trial. Habit, identity, and repetitive action: a prospective study of binge-drinking in UK students. Using instrumented paper diaries to document self-monitoring patterns in weight loss. Study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of a tailored energy balance programme for recent retirees Balanced: a randomised trial examining the efficacy of two self-monitoring methods for an app-based multi-behaviour intervention to improve physical activity, sitting and sleep in adults The Master Questionnaire: preliminary report on an obesity assessment device. Self-reported and automatic cognitions are associated with exercise behavior in cancer survivors. Feasibility of heart-rate monitoring to estimate total level and pattern of energy expenditure in a population-based epidemiological study: the Ely Young Cohort Feasibility Study 1994-5. Self-monitoring of spontaneous physical activity and sedentary behavior to prevent weight regain in older adults Relationship of high energy expenditure and variation in dietary intake with reporting accuracy on 7 day food records and diet histories in a group of healthy adult volunteers Intervening on spontaneous physical activity to prevent weight regain in older adults: design of a randomized, clinical trial. Validation of an inexpensive and accurate mathematical method to measure long-term changes in free-living energy intake. Total energy intake, adolescent discretionary behaviors and the energy gap A novel method for using accelerometer data to predict energy expenditure. Implicit cognition about self-injury predicts actual self-injurious behavior: results from a longitudinal study of adolescents. Biased over- or under-reporting is characteristic of individuals whether over time or by different assessment methods.
OBJECTIVE Habit might be usefully characterized as a form of automaticity that involves the association of a cue and a response . Three studies examined habitual automaticity in regard to different aspects of the cue-response relationship characteristic of unhealthy and healthy habits . DESIGN , MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES , AND RESULTS In each study , habitual automaticity was assessed by the  Self-Report Habit Index ( SRHI ) . In Study 1 SRHI scores correlated with attentional bias to smoking cues in a Stroop task . Study 2 examined the ability of a habit cue to elicit an unwanted habit response . In a prospect i ve field study , habitual automaticity in relation to smoking when drinking alcohol in a licensed public house ( pub ) predicted the likelihood of cigarette-related action slips 2 months later after smoking in pubs had become illegal . In Study 3 experimental group participants formed an implementation  intention to floss  in response to a specified situational cue . Habitual automaticity of dental flossing  was rapidly enhanced compared to controls . CONCLUSION The studies provided three different demonstrations of the importance of cues in the automatic operation of habits . Habitual automaticity assessed by the SRHI captured aspects of a habit that go beyond mere frequency or consistency of the behavior BACKGROUND Habits are behavioral routines that are automatic and frequent , relatively independent of any desired outcome , and have potent antecedent cues . Among individuals with anorexia nervosa ( AN ) , behaviors that promote the starved state appear habitual , and this is the foundation of a recent neurobiological model of AN . In this proof-of-concept study , we tested the habit model of AN by examining the impact of an intervention focused on antecedent cues for eating disorder routines . METHODS The primary intervention target was habit strength ; we also measured clinical impact via eating disorder psychopathology and actual eating . Twenty-two hospitalized patients with AN were r and omly assigned to 12 sessions of either Supportive Psychotherapy or a behavioral intervention aim ed at cues for maladaptive behavioral routines , Regulating Emotions and Changing Habits ( REaCH ) . RESULTS Covarying for baseline , REaCH was associated with a significantly lower Self-Report Habit Index ( SRHI ) score and significantly lower Eating Disorder Examination- Question naire ( EDE-Q ) global score at the end-of-treatment . The end-of-treatment effect size for SRHI was d = 1.28 , for EDE-Q was d = 0.81 , and for caloric intake was d = 1.16 . CONCLUSIONS REaCH changed habit strength of maladaptive routines more than an active control therapy , and targeting habit strength yielded improvement in clinical ly meaningful measures . These findings support a habit-based model of AN , and suggest habit strength as a mechanism-based target for intervention OBJECTIVES Repeated action can lead to the formation of habits and identification as ' the kind of person ' that performs the behaviour . This has led to the suggestion that identity- relevance is a facet of habit . This study explores conceptual overlap between habit and identity , and examines where the two constructs fit into an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour ( TPB ) model of binge-drinking among university students . DESIGN Prospect i ve , question naire-based correlational design . METHODS A total of 167 UK university students completed baseline measures of past behaviour , self-identity , the Self-Report Habit Index ( SRHI ) , and TPB constructs . One week later , 128 participants completed a follow-up behaviour measure . RESULTS Factor analyses of the SRHI and four identity items revealed two correlated but distinct factors , relating to habit and identity , respectively . Hierarchical regression analyses of intention and behaviour showed that identity contributed over and above TPB constructs to the prediction of intention , whereas habit predicted behaviour directly , and interacted with intentions in predicting behaviour . Habits unexpectedly strengthened the intention-behaviour relation , such that strong intenders were more likely to binge-drink where they also had strong habits . CONCLUSIONS Identity and habit are conceptually discrete and impact differently on binge-drinking . Findings have implication s for habit theory and measurement . Recommendations for student alcohol consumption reduction initiatives are offered Self-monitoring of eating is associated with successful weight loss , but adherence is imperfect and deteriorates over time . Moreover , intentionally or not , many individuals have difficulty keeping faithful records . We used instrumented paper diaries ( IPDs ) to study self-monitoring  in r and omly chosen participants in the PREFER trial , a behavioral treatment for weight-loss study . The diaries they used to self-report eating were periodically replaced with IPDs at various times during an 18-month weight-loss program , consisting of three successive phases : intense treatment ( n=35 ) , less-intense treatment ( n=13 ) , and maintenance ( n=16 ) . We compared electronically documented self-monitoring data , showing when and how often IPDs were used , with self-reported data , then compared the electronically vali date d adherence and weight loss . Self-reported diary usage exceeded IPD-documented usage while the electronic data demonstrated a significant decline in self-monitoring over time . Diary recording often was not timely . Percentage weight lost correlated significantly with frequency of IPD use ( p=.001 ) and the number of diary entries made within 15 min of opening the IPD ( p=.002 ) . This is the first study to document patterns of self-monitoring among participants in a weight-loss program , which demonstrated that individuals may falsify the times and frequency of self-monitoring . Furthermore , our results showed that adherence to self-monitoring and the timeliness of recording significantly correlate with improved weight loss Background People in transitional life stages , such as occupational retirement , are likely to gain weight and accumulate abdominal fat mass caused by changes in physical activity and diet . Hence , retirees are an important target group for weight gain prevention programmes , as described in the present paper . Methods / Design A systematic and stepwise approach ( Intervention Mapping ) is used to develop a low-intensity energy balance intervention programme for recent retirees . This one-year , low-intensity multifaceted programme aims to prevent accumulation of abdominal fat mass and general weight gain by increasing awareness of energy balance and influencing related behaviours of participants ' preference . These behaviours are physical activity , fibre intake , portion size and fat consumption . The effectiveness of the intervention programme is tested in a cluster r and omised controlled trial . Measurements of anthropometry , physical activity , energy intake , and related psychosocial determinants are performed at baseline and repeated at 6 months for intermediate effect , at 12 months to evaluate short-term intervention effects and at 24 months to test the sustainability of the effects . Discussion This intervention programme is unique in its focus on retirees and energy balance . It aims at increasing awareness and takes into account personal preferences of the users by offering several options for behaviour change . Moreover , the intervention programme is evaluated at short-term and long-term and includes consecutive outcome measures ( determinants , behaviour and body composition ) Background Many adults are insufficiently physically active , have prolonged sedentary behaviour and report poor sleep . These behaviours can be improved by interventions that include education , goal setting , self-monitoring , and feedback strategies . Few interventions have explicitly targeted these behaviours simultaneously or examined the relative efficacy of different self-monitoring methods . Methods / Design This study aims to compare the efficacy of two self-monitoring methods in an app-based multi-behaviour intervention to improve objective ly measured physical activity , sedentary , and sleep behaviours , in a 9 week 2–arm r and omised trial . Participants will be adults ( n = 64 ) who report being physically inactive , sitting > 8 h/day and frequent insufficient sleep ( ≥14 days out of last 30 ) . The “ Balanced ” intervention is delivered via a smartphone ‘ app ’ , and includes education material s ( guidelines , strategies to promote change in behaviour ) , goal setting , self-monitoring and feedback support . Participants will be r and omly allocated to either a device-entered or user-entered self-monitoring method . The device-entered group will be provided with a activity tracker to self-monitor behaviours . The user-entered group will recall and manually record behaviours . Assessment s will be conducted at 0 , 3 , 6 , and 9 weeks . Physical activity , sedentary behaviour and sleep-wake behaviours will be measured using the wrist worn Geneactiv accelerometer . Linear mixed models will be used to examine differences between groups and over time using an alpha of 0.01 . Discussion This study will evaluate an app-based multi-behavioural intervention to improve physical activity , sedentary behaviour and sleep ; and the relative efficacy of two different approaches to self-monitoring these behaviours . Outcomes will provide information to inform future interventions and self-monitoring targeting these behaviours . Trial registration ACTRN12615000182594 ( Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry . Registry URL : www.anzctr.org.au ; registered prospect ively on 25 February 2015 ) Behavioral obesity research ers are increasingly concerned with thorough assessment of obesity . The present report describes the preliminary testing and refinement of the Master Question naire ( MQ ) , a true-false scale developed expressly for use in obesity research . It was initially divided into four subscales : Spouse Support , Energy Balance Habits , Cognitive Factors , and Energy Balance Knowledge , and was intended for use as an outcome measure and as a predictor of change in obesity status . Its stability , internal consistency , sensitivity to treatment-related change , and predictive validity were examined . Test-retest reliability and sensitivity to treatment-related change were each found to be acceptable for three out of four subscales . Two subscales , Energy Balance Knowledge and Cognitive Factors , predicted outcome . The major weakness of the subscales was a lack of unidimensionality which would limit their utility . Cluster and factor analyses were used to develop five new subscales with acceptable levels of internal consistency . While some additional development and validation is still needed , the available evidence suggests that we have the nucleus of a strong assessment tool for obesity research OBJECTIVE Physical activity is beneficial for cancer survivors , but exercise participation is low in this population . It is therefore important to underst and the psychological factors underlying exercise uptake so that more effective interventions can be developed . Social-cognitive theory constructs such as outcome expectancies predict exercise behavior , but self-report measures have several limitations . We examined the associations between implicit ( automatic ) cognitions and exercise behavior and self-efficacy in endometrial cancer survivors . METHOD This was a longitudinal study to examine predictors of exercise behavior in female endometrial cancer survivors who all received an exercise intervention . Participants ( N = 100 , mean age of 57.0 ) completed question naires to assess self-report exercise-related measures ( outcome expectancy and attitudes about and identification with exercise ) and reaction time ( RT ) tasks to assess  implicit exercise cognitions ( expectancy accessibility , implicit attitudes about exercise , and implicit self- identification with exercise ) at baseline and at 2 , 4 , and 6 months at follow-up .  Exercise behavior  was measured using accelerometers and self-report . Data were analyzed using linear mixed models . RESULTS Expectancy accessibility was associated with exercise duration independent of the corresponding self-report measure . Exercise implicit attitudes and self- identification were prospect ively associated with exercise self-efficacy only after adjustment for the corresponding self-report measures and baseline self-efficacy . Self-report measures were also associated with study outcomes . CONCLUSIONS Both self-reported cognitions and implicit cognitions may be useful to identify individuals at risk of failing to exercise . Individuals so identified might be provided with a different or more intensive intervention . The data also suggest cognitive targets for intervention . ( PsycINFO Data base Increasing the precision of measurements of total energy expenditure in population -based epidemiological studies is important for accurately quantifying the relationship between this exposure and disease . Current question naire-based methods can not accurately quantify total energy expenditure , although they may provide an estimate of the frequency of vigorous activities . Heart rate monitoring with individual calibration has been advocated as a method for assessing energy expenditure in field studies and has been compared with the ' gold st and ard ' techniques of doubly-labelled water and indirect calorimetry . However the method has previously only been used on small and selected population s. This study was , therefore , established to test the feasibility of using heart rate monitoring in a population -based study of adults . A total of 167 individuals aged 30 - 40 years were r and omly selected and underwent 4 d heart-rate monitoring . Only three individuals could not complete the protocol . The mean physical activity level ( PAL ) measured over 4 d was 1.89 ( SD 0.40 ) in men and 1.76 ( sd 0.31 ) in women . There was no difference between mean PAL on weekend days compared with weekdays ( mean paired difference 0.0008 , 95 % CI -0.06 + 0.06 ) . The estimate of mean PAL was not correlated with BMI , percentage body fat or the waist : hip ratio . It was , however , correlated with cardio-respiratory fitness as measured by VO2(max ) per kg ( Spearman rank correlation coefficient 0.50 in men and 0.42 in women ) . The pattern of energy expenditure was assessed by calculating the percentage of daytime hours in which PAL was greater than five times basal energy expenditure . This measure was strongly correlated with the mean PAL in both men ( Spearman correlation coefficient 0.77 ) and women ( 0.71 ) . We conclude that heart-rate monitoring is a feasible method for assessing the pattern and total level of energy expenditure in medium-sized epidemiological studies . It may also prove useful as the reference technique for calibrating question naires to estimate energy expenditure in larger scale studies Objective This study determined whether adding a self-regulatory intervention ( SRI ) focused on self-monitoring of spontaneous physical activity and sedentary behavior to a st and ard weight loss intervention improved maintenance of lost weight . Design and Methods Older ( 65–79 yrs ) , obese ( BMI = 30–40 kg/m2 ) adults ( n=48 ) were r and omized to a five-month weight loss intervention involving a hypocaloric diet ( DIET ) and aerobic exercise ( EX ) with or without the SRI to promote spontaneous physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior ( SRI+DIET+EX compared to DIET+EX ) . Following the weight loss phase , both groups transitioned to self-selected diet and exercise behavior during a 5-month follow-up . Throughout the 10-months , the SRI+DIET+EX group utilized real-time accelerometer feedback for self-monitoring . Results There was an overall group by time effect of the SRI ( P < 0.01 ) ; DIET+EX lost less weight and regained more weight than SRI+DIET+EX . The average weight regain during follow-up was 1.3 kg less in the SRI+DIET+EX group . Individuals in this group maintained ~10 % lower weight than baseline compared to those in the DIET+EX group whom maintained ~5 % lower weight than baseline . Conclusions Addition of a self-regulatory intervention , design ed to increase spontaneous physical activity and decrease sedentary behavior , to a st and ard weight loss intervention enhances successful maintenance of lost weight Objectives : To assess the accuracy of reporting from both a diet history and food record and identify some of the characteristics of more accurate reporters in a group of healthy adult volunteers for an energy balance study . Design : Prospect i ve measurements in free-living people . Setting : Wollongong , Australia . Subjects : Fifteen healthy volunteers ( seven male , eight female ; aged 22–59 y ; body mass index ( BMI ) 19–33 kg/m2 ) from the local community in the city of Wollongong , Australia . Interventions : Measurement of  energy intake via diet history interview and 7 day food records , total energy expenditure by the doubly labelled water technique over 14 days ,  physical activity  by question naire , and body fat by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry . Results : Increased misreporting of energy intake was associated with increased energy expenditure ( r=0.90 , P<0.0001 , diet history ; r S=0.79 , P=0.0005 , food records ) but was not associated with age , sex , BMI or body fat . Range in number of recorded dinner foods correlated positively with energy expenditure ( r S=0.63 , P=0.01 ) and degree of misreporting ( r S=0.71 , P=0.003 , diet history ; r S=0.63 , P=0.01 , food records ) . Variation in energy intake at dinner and over the whole day identified by the food records correlated positively with energy expenditure ( r=0.58 , P=0.02 ) and misreporting on the diet history ( r=0.62 , P=0.01 ) . Conclusions : Subjects who are highly active or who have variable dietary and exercise behaviour may be less accurate in reporting dietary intake . Our findings indicate that it may be necessary to screen for these characteristics in studies where accuracy of reporting at an individual level is critical . Sponsorship : The study was supported in part by Australian Research Council funds made available through the University of Wollongong There is a need to identify evidence d-based obesity treatments that are effective in maintaining lost weight . Weight loss results in reductions in energy expenditure , including spontaneous physical activity ( SPA ) which is defined as energy expenditure result ing primarily from unstructured mobility-related activities that occur during daily life . To date , there is little research , especially r and omized , controlled trials , testing strategies that can be adopted and sustained to prevent declines in SPA that occur with weight loss . Self-monitoring is a successful behavioral strategy to facilitate behavior change , so a provocative question is whether monitoring SPA-related energy expenditure would override these reductions in SPA , and slow weight regain . This study is a r and omized trial in older , obese men and women design ed to test the hypothesis that adding a self-regulatory intervention ( SRI ) , focused around self-monitoring of SPA , to a weight loss intervention will result in less weight and fat mass regain following weight loss than a comparable intervention that lacks this self-regulatory behavioral strategy . Participants ( n=72 ) are r and omized to a 5-month weight loss intervention with or without the addition of a behavioral component that includes an innovative approach to promoting increased SPA . Both groups then transition to self-selected diet and exercise behavior for a 5-month follow-up . Throughout the 10-month period , the SRI group is provided with an intervention design ed to promote a SPA level that is equal to or greater than each individual 's baseline SPA level , allowing us to isolate the effects of the SPA self-regulatory intervention component on weight and fat mass regain BACKGROUND Accurate measurement of free-living energy intake ( EI ) over long periods is imperative for underst and ing obesity and its treatment . Unfortunately , traditional methods rely on self-report and are notoriously inaccurate . Although EI can be indirectly estimated by the intake-balance method , this technique is prohibitively labor-intensive and expensive , requiring repeated measures of energy expenditure via doubly labeled water ( DLW ) along with multiple dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry ( DXA ) scans to measure changes in body energy stores . OBJECTIVE Our objective was to vali date a mathematical method to measure long-term changes in free-living energy intake . DESIGN We measured body weight and EI changes ( ΔEI ) over 4 time intervals by using the intake-balance method in 140 individuals who underwent 2 y of caloric restriction as part of the Comprehensive Assessment of Long-term Effects of Reducing Intake of Energy study . We compared the ΔEI values calculated by using DLW/DXA with those obtained by using a mathematical model of human metabolism whose only inputs were the initial demographic information and repeated body weight data . RESULTS The mean ΔEI values calculated by the model were within 40 kcal/d of the DLW/DXA method throughout the 2-y study . For individual subjects , the overall root mean square deviation between the model and DLW/DXA method was 215 kcal/d , and most of the model-calculated ΔEI values were within 132 kcal/d of the DLW/DXA method . CONCLUSIONS Accurate and inexpensive estimates of ΔEI that are comparable to the DLW/DXA method can be obtained by using a mathematical model and repeated body weight measurements Objective : To estimate total energy intake and the energy gap — the daily imbalance between energy intake and expenditure — associated with discretionary behaviors of adolescents , namely their leisure active behaviors ( playing or participating in sports and heavy chores ) , leisure sedentary behaviors ( television ( TV ) viewing and playing video and computer games ) , productive sedentary behaviors ( reading or doing homework ) . Design : Prospect i ve observational study . Participants : A total of 538 students ( mean age at baseline=11.7 years ) from public schools in the Boston area studied prospect ively from the fall of 1995 to the spring of 1997 . Measurements : Anthropometric assessment including height and weight , dietary assessment using a youth food frequency question  naire and measures of TV , video , reading/doing homework and youth physical activity .  Results : We estimate the change in total energy intake for each hour change in discretionary activity using regression methods . A 1-h increase in watching TV is associated with a 106 kcal h−1 increase in total energy intake ( 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) : 61–150 kcal day−1 ) . A similar change of 92 kcal h−1 ( 95 % CI : 37–147 kcal day−1 ) is seen with playing video and computer games . The change in energy intake associated with an hour change in physical activity is 292 kcal h−1 ( 95 % CI : 262–321 kcal day−1 ) . No significant change is associated with reading/doing homework . Assuming that typical energy expenditures are associated with these behaviors , reading/doing homework appears to be an ‘ energy neutral ’ activity , whereas watching TV and playing video and computer games is associated with an energy surplus . If we assume that physical activity levels are moderate ( 3.5 METs ) , then this is also an energy surplus activity . If physical activity is assumed to be vigorous for the entire time allotted ( > 6.0 METs ) , an energy deficit could be achieved . We vali date d these estimates by calculating regressions predicting change in weight . Results indicate that each hour increase in TV viewing is associated with a weight increase of 0.38 kg ( 95 % CI : 0.17–0.59 kg ) , with no significant associations for the other behaviors . A model with change in BMI as the dependent variable produced similar results . Conclusion : Watching TV is an activity associated with a daily energy surplus . Although physical activity is thought of as an energy deficit activity , our estimates do not support this hypothesis . Reading/doing homework is the only discretionary activity examined which appears to be clearly energy neutral . The differential impacts of these discretionary behaviors on energy intake and the energy gap are discussed in relation to food-related advertisements aim ed at children and adolescents The purpose of this study was to develop a new two-regression model relating Actigraph activity counts to energy expenditure over a wide range of physical activities . Forty-eight participants [ age 35 yr ( 11.4 ) ] performed various activities chosen to represent sedentary , light , moderate , and vigorous intensities . Eighteen activities were split into three routines with each routine being performed by 20 individuals , for a total of 60 tests . Forty-five tests were r and omly selected for the development of the new equation , and 15 tests were used to cross-vali date the new equation and compare it against already existing equations . During each routine , the participant wore an Actigraph accelerometer on the hip , and oxygen consumption was simultaneously measured by a portable metabolic system . For each activity , the coefficient of variation ( CV ) for the counts per 10 s was calculated to determine whether the activity was walking/running or some other activity . If the CV was < or=10 , then a walk/run regression equation was used , whereas if the CV was > 10 , a lifestyle/leisure time physical activity regression was used . In the cross-validation group , the mean estimates using the new algorithm ( 2-regression model with an inactivity threshold ) were within 0.75 metabolic equivalents ( METs ) of measured METs for each of the activities performed ( P > or= 0.05 ) , which was a substantial improvement over the single-regression models . The new algorithm is more accurate for the prediction of energy expenditure than currently published regression equations using the Actigraph accelerometer BACKGROUND The implicit association hypothesis of nonsuicidal self-injury ( NSSI ) proposes that individuals who engage in self-injury develop , over time , strong associations between themselves and NSSI , and their identification with this behavior guides their future selection of NSSI to cope . Prior research has established a relationship between implicit NSSI associations ( using an Implicit Association Test for Self-Injury ) and engagement in NSSI . However , previous studies have been small and cross-sectional , and thus underpowered to examine the nature of this association and the extent to which implicit associations predict the persistence of NSSI . METHODS This study builds on previous research in a prospect i ve , longitudinal examination of implicit self- identification with NSSI in a large sample of middle school students .  NSSI behavior and implicit NSSI associations  were assessed annually in school at three time points . RESULTS Adolescents who engaged in NSSI exhibited stronger implicit self- identification with NSSI than adolescents who did not engage in NSSI . Moreover , implicit NSSI identification was stronger among adolescents who engaged in cutting , frequent NSSI , and recent NSSI . A reciprocal association was observed between NSSI frequency and implicit NSSI identification over 1 year . Notably , implicit NSSI identification uniquely and prospect ively predicted engagement in NSSI over the subsequent year . CONCLUSIONS Implicit self- identification with NSSI may track both trait- and state-related changes in the behavior and , importantly , may help predict continued engagement in NSSI Seven studies with repeated measurements of energy intake and /or nitrogen intake were examined to determine whether misreporting is characteristic of some persons or occurs r and omly . Four of the studies were vali date d by doubly labeled water measurements of energy expenditure . Reporting validity was expressed as the ratio of energy intake to energy expenditure . Ratios were consistently below the expected value of 1.0 for some subjects and consistently above 1.0 for others , indicating characteristic reporting validity within subjects . Two year-long studies provided 4 to 12 measurements and a total number of days sufficient to measure individual habitual intake . Subjects  mean energy intake to basal metabolic rate ( BMR ) ratios were < 1.35 in 45 % and 47 % and < 1.35 at every measurement in 25 % of subjects . This indicated persistent underreporting over time , because 1.35 x BMR is the minimum energy expenditure compatible with a normally active lifestyle . Three of the studies used more than 1 assessment method ( vali date d by doubly labeled water and /or urinary nitrogen excretion ) . There was a tendency for persons determined to be underreporters by 1 method to be also underreporters when tested by other methods . We conclude that biased over- or underreporting is characteristic of some persons . Thus , repeat measurements do not necessarily provide valid measures of individual intake , extreme intakes may reflect under- and overreporting rather than true low or high intakes , and subjects most prone to reporting bias may be repeatedly misclassified in quantiles of the distribution . This presents a challenge to dietitians nutritionists , and statisticians both for the design of surveys and the h and ling of flawed data
Results A four-item automaticity subscale ( the ‘ Self-Report Behavioural Automaticity Index ’ ; ‘ SRBAI ’ ) was found to be reliable and sensitive to two hypothesised effects of habit on behaviour : a habit-behaviour correlation , and a moderating effect of habit on the intention-behaviour relationship .
Conclusion The SRBAI offers a parsimonious measure that adequately captures habitual behaviour patterns .
The SRBAI may be of particular utility in predicting future behaviour and in studies tracking habit formation or disruption
Background The twelve-item Self-Report Habit Index ( SRHI ) is the most popular measure of energy-balance related habits .
This measure characterises habit by automatic activation , behavioural frequency , and relevance to self-identity .
Previous empirical research suggests that the SRHI may be abbreviated with no losses in reliability or predictive utility .
Drawing on recent theorising suggesting that automaticity is the ‘ active ingredient ’ of habit-behaviour relationships , we tested whether an automaticity-specific SRHI subscale could capture habit-based behaviour patterns in self-report data .