Citation

Lippke S, Nigg CR, Maddock JE. Int. J. Behav. Med. 2012; 19(1): 1-13.

Affiliation

Health Psychology/ Health Promotion, Freie Universität Berlin & Maastricht University, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195, Berlin, Germany, s.lippke@fu-berlin.de.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, International Society of Behavioral Medicine, Publisher Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12529-010-9135-4

PMID

21234735

PMCID

PMC3277822

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Co-occurrence of different behaviors was investigated using the theoretical underpinnings of the Transtheoretical Model, the Theory of Triadic Influence and the concept of Transfer. PURPOSE: To investigate relationships between different health behaviors' stages of change, how behaviors group, and whether study participants cluster in terms of their behaviors. METHOD: Relationships across stages for different behaviors were assessed in three studies with N = 3,519, 965, and 310 individuals from the USA and Germany by telephone and internet surveys using correlational analyses, factor analyses, and cluster analyses. RESULTS: Consistently stronger correlations were found between nutrition and physical activity (r = 0.16-0.26, p < 0.01) than between non-smoking and nutrition (r = 0.08-0.16, p < 0.03), or non-smoking and physical activity (r = 0.01-0.21). Principal component analyses of investigated behaviors indicated two factors: a "health-promoting" factor and a "health-risk" factor. Three distinct behavioral patterns were found in the cluster analyses. CONCLUSION: Our results support the assumption that individuals who are in a higher stage for one behavior are more likely to be in a higher stage for another behavior as well. If the aim is to improve a healthy lifestyle, success in one behavior can be used to facilitate changes in other behaviors-especially if the two behaviors are both health-promoting or health-risky. Moreover, interventions should be targeted towards the different behavioral patterns rather than to single behaviors. This might be achieved by addressing transfer between behaviors.

Language: en