Behaviour change technique | Example | Interventions, n | Controls, na |
---|---|---|---|
Action planning | Agreeing to eat three light meals a day, with at least one hot meal. Action planning needs to include thought about when, where, and how the behaviour will take place | 23 | 0 |
Goal setting (outcome) | Goals generally need to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound (SMART), and the result of shared decisions. For example, getting to the shops and home without assistance | 21 | 0 |
Social support (unspecified) | Getting a ‘blue badge’ to allow the person to go to the shops alone | 21 | 2 |
Problem solving | Working to identify the barriers preventing individuals from engaging in behaviours and identifying ‘enablers’. For example, not being able to get to a social group because of lack of transport; problem solving should address how they might access the group | 19 | 0 |
Information on health consequences | General education: information about the benefits of drinking enough water (hydration), or the negative effects of consumption of sugary foods if they have diabetes | 19 | 6 |
Credible source | Using information from a well-known and respected source, for example, British Heart Foundation chair-based exercises | 15 | 4 |
Pharmacological support | Using pharmacological support, including appetite stimulation, to improve the appetite in patients with weight loss | 14 | 4 |
Instructions on how to perform a behaviour | Advising how to use online services from the local council | 13 | 1 |
Verbal persuasion about capability | Focusing on an individual’s abilities and assets, and providing verbal encouragement | 12 | 0 |
Review outcome goals | Checking if goals have been achieved, and exploring barriers to achievement | 9 | 0 |
Biofeedback | Breathing exercises and monitoring with spirometer | 4 | 0 |
↵a The control groups did not receive the intervention being trialled but in some cases did include BCTs as part of their ‘usual care’ or as a minor ‘add on’ to usual care. BCTs = behaviour change techniques.