Showing papers by "Ralf Schwarzer published in 2017"

The Role of Self-Efficacy and Friend Support on Adolescent Vigorous Physical Activity:

Abstract: Objectives. Physical activity, including some form of vigorous activity, is a key component of a healthy lifestyle in young people. Self-efficacy and social support have been identified as key determinants of physical activity; however, the mechanism that reflects the interplay of these two factors is not well understood. The aim of the current study was to test social cognitive theory’s notion that self-efficacy relates to intention that translates into behavior and to investigate whether friend support and self-efficacy synergize, interfere, or compensate for one another to predict vigorous physical activity in adolescents—a population at risk of rapid decreases in physical activity. Method. A survey at two points in time was conducted in 226 students aged 12 to 16 years. In a conditional process analysis, friend support and physical activity self-efficacy were specified as interacting predictors of intention. The latter was specified as a mediator between self-efficacy and later vigorous physical activ...

Translating Dental Flossing Intentions into Behavior: a Longitudinal Investigation of the Mediating Effect of Planning and Self-Efficacy on Young Adults

Abstract: Although poor oral hygiene practices can have serious health consequences, a large number of adults brush or floss their teeth less than the recommended time or not at all. This study examined the mediating effect of two key self-regulatory processes, self-efficacy and planning, as the mechanisms that translate dental flossing intentions into behavior. Participants (N = 629) comprised young adults attending a major university in Queensland, Australia. A longitudinal design guided by sound theory was adopted to investigate the sequential mediation chain for the effect of dental flossing intentions (time 1) on behavior (time 3) via self-efficacy and planning (time 2). A latent variable structural equation model with standardized parameter estimates revealed the model was a good fit to the data. Controlling for baseline flossing, the effect of intentions on behavior was mediated via self-efficacy and planning, with 64 % of the flossing variance accounted for by this set of predictors. Controlling for age and sex did not change the results. The results extend previous research to further elucidate the mechanisms that help to translate oral hygiene intentions into behavior and make a significant contribution to the cumulative empirical evidence about self-regulatory components in health behavior change.

Augmenting fruit and vegetable consumption by an online intervention: psychological mechanisms

Abstract: Background: Fruit and vegetable (FV) intake is examined among men and women who participated in an online intervention. The main purpose of the analyses regards the role of psychological mechanisms that might be responsible for individual differences in the process of behavior change. The psychological constructs involved are outcome expectancies, motivation, planning, and self-efficacy. The secondary purpose of the analyses is the evaluation of a self-efficacy treatment component. Methods: A two-arm online intervention focusing on FV planning was conducted to improve FV intake with follow-ups at two and four weeks. The only difference between the standard and the enhanced intervention group was the additional inclusion of a self-efficacy ingredient in the latter. Participants were N=275 adults of whom n=148 completed the four-week follow-up. Their age range was 18 to 81 years (M=32.5, SD=14). Data were analyzed using linear mixed models and longitudinal structural equation models. Findings: Analyses yielded an overall increase in self-reported FV intake. Moreover, a triple interaction between time, sex, and experimental groups on self-efficacy emerged, indicating that men reported an increase in FV self-efficacy independent of groups, whereas women in the enhanced group developed higher FV self-efficacy. Planning, self-efficacy, and motivation mediated between outcome expectancies, and follow-up FV intake. Discussion: Both intervention arms produced overall improvements in self-reported FV intake. The mediation sequence leading from initial outcome expectancies via planning, self-efficacy, and motivation towards final FV intake underlined the importance to include psychological strategies such as planning and self-efficacy in (online) interventions on FV intake.

Who benefits from a dietary online intervention? Evidence from Italy, Spain and Greece.

Abstract: Objective The traditional Mediterranean diet includes high consumption of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, cereals and nuts, moderate to high intake of fish and dairy products, and low consumption of meat products. Intervention effects to improve adoption of this diet may vary in terms of individuals' motivational or volitional prerequisites. In the context of a three-country research collaboration, intervention effects on these psychological constructs for increasing adoption of the Mediterranean diet were examined. Design An intervention was conducted to improve Mediterranean diet consumption with a two-month follow-up. Linear multiple-level models examined which psychological constructs (outcome expectancies, planning, action control and stage of change) were associated with changes in diet scores. Setting Web-based intervention in Italy, Spain and Greece. Subjects Adults (n 454; mean age 42·2 (sd 10·4) years, range 18-65 years; n 112 at follow-up). Results Analyses yielded an overall increase in the Mediterranean diet scores. Moreover, there were interactions between time and all four psychological constructs on these changes. Participants with lower levels of baseline outcome expectancies, planning, action control and stage of change were found to show steeper slopes, thus greater behavioural adoption, than those who started out with higher levels. Conclusions The intervention produced overall improvements in Mediterranean diet consumption, with outcome expectancies, planning, action control and stage of change operating as moderators, indicating that those with lower motivational or volitional prerequisites gained more from the online intervention. Individual differences in participants' readiness for change need to be taken into account to gauge who would benefit most from the given treatment.

Women with family cancer history are at risk for poorer physical quality of life and lower self-efficacy: a longitudinal study among men and women with non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract: We investigated the determinants of trajectories of physical symptoms related to lung cancer (a quality of life [QOL] aspect) and self-efficacy among patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It was hypothesized that gender and family cancer history in first-degree relatives would have synergistic effects on QOL-lung cancer specific symptoms and self-efficacy. Women with family cancer history were expected to be at risk of poorer adjustment. Quantitative, longitudinal design was applied. Participants provided their responses at 3–4 days after surgery, 1-month follow-up, and 4-month follow-up. We recruited 102 in-patients (men: 51%) with NSCLC who underwent surgery aimed at removing a lung tumor. Self-report data were collected with QLQ-LC13 and a scale for self-efficacy for managing illness. Mixed-models analysis indicated that trajectories of physical quality of life (symptoms of lung cancer) as well as self-efficacy were unfavorable among women with family cancer history. Among NSCLC patients, gender and family cancer history may be considered basic screening criteria for identifying groups of patients at risk for poorer physical QOL (higher level of physical symptoms related to lung cancer) and lower incline of self-efficacy after cancer surgery.

Validity of self-reported concentration and memory problems: Relationship with neuropsychological assessment and depression

Abstract: Background: This study investigated the validity of self-reported concentration and memory problems (CMP) in residents environmentally exposed to manganese (Mn). Method: Self-report of CMP from a h...