None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Providing individuals with physical activity advice and guidance can help to improve their physical activity behavior. This is especially the case when individuals are motivated to read the information and are able to understand it and consider it thoughtfully. There is some evidence that providing people with information that is matched to their cognitive processing style, known as need for cognition, increases motivation and ability to read the messages presented. Further, there is evidence that this in turn is associated with greater improvements in attitudes and behaviors. This has been shown in a health context before (e.g., mammogram utilization), but evidence in the physical activity field is lacking. Given that interventions matched to participant’s need for cognition are more resource intensive to develop than unmatched interventions (requiring at least double the intervention materials), research examining the impact of matching to need for cognition in the physical activity domain is needed before this technique is adopted en masse in this area. We aim to examine how stimuli optimized for central route (deep thinking) processing compared to peripheral route processing (use of simple cues) are processed by individuals with higher and lower need for cognition and the impact of this on the persuasiveness of the materials. This will be achieved in a mixed method laboratory-based study, with outcomes assessed using eye-trackers, combined with brief questionnaires and qualitative interview. We hypothesize that individuals who are shown materials that best match their cognitive processing style will show greater attention to the materials and less distraction when processing them (assessed by eye tracking devices) compared to individuals who are shown materials that do not match their cognitive processing style. Further, we anticipate that greater attention will be associated with more positive ratings of the intervention materials and greater motivation for physical activity participation (assessed via self-report; quantitative and qualitative methods). Overall, this study will provide valuable insights into how to develop physical activity messages and in doing so may help to inform the development of more effective physical activity interventions in the future.
Interventions
Arm 1 - Physical activity module designed to persuade via central route information processing (i.e., deep and critical thinking):
The module in this condition consists of 12 slides., Participants are asked to sit in front of the computer in the laboratory and view the slides in their own time . Participants can only view the slides once and can not view a previous slide once they click 'next', Topics covered include the benefits of physical activity, the physical activity guidelines for Austr
Arm 1 - Physical activity module designed to persuade via central route information processing (i.e., deep and critical thinking): The module in this condition consists of 12 slides., Participants are asked to sit in front of the computer in the laboratory and view the slides in their own time . Participants can only view the slides once and can not view a previous slide once they click 'next', Topics covered include the benefits of physical activity, the physical activity guidelines for Australian adults (published by the Department of health and ageing) and how to get started and stay committed to physical activity. The slide content was developed by the lead researcher, drawing from content developed for previous intervention research (e.g., http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4594649/). The materials in this condition emphasise facts relating to physical activity and physical activity behaviour change. Strong arguments are presented in a clear and direct manner. No weak arguments are presented and emotional appeals are not used (including humour and emotive language).
Sponsors
University of Adelaide
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
English proficient adults between the ages of 18-60, who can read and write in English, who can attend the University of Adelaide testing site during business hours (9am-5pm Monday-Friday), who can clearly view a computer screen without the assistance of glasses (contact lenses permitted), who are not already participating in recommended physical activity levels (i.e., 30 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity on five or more days per week) and who had not had laser eye surgery are eligible to participate.
Exclusion criteria
laser eye surgery
Outcome results
None listed