NCT02615821

Mental Contrasting Physical Activity Study

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 105 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of British Columbia · Academic / Other
• Sex: Female
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

Given the numerous physical and psychological benefits of engaging in regular physical activity (Biddle \& Ekkekakis, 2005; Warburton et al., 2007) and the decrease in students' physical activity levels during the transition from high school to university (Bray \& Born, 2010) it is important for researchers to develop time-and-cost-effective interventions to prevent this drop in physical activity. Intervention research shows mental contrasting (a goal setting strategy) can be taught in a cost-and-time-effective way in order to increase physical activity (Oettingen, 2012). Researchers have also found that individuals who consider the emotional effects of physical activity are more likely to be physically active than those who consider the health-related effects (Rhodes et al., 2009). The purpose of this research is to combine these two approaches to develop and evaluate a novel mental contrasting intervention to increase physical activity among a sample of undergraduate students.

Detailed description

The transition from high school to university is a vulnerable period for discontinuing regular physical activity, which can have implications for individuals' physical and psychological health (Bray \& Born, 2010). Accordingly, it is imperative to find and implement cost and time-effective interventions to mitigate the consequences of this transition. Mental contrasting is a goal-setting strategy that involves imagining the greatest outcome associated with achievement of a desired future goal while considering the aspects of one's present situation that may serve as obstacles for attaining that same goal (Oettingen \& Gollwitzer, 2010). Intervention research has shown that mental contrasting can be taught as a metacognitive strategy in a cost- and time-effective way, affecting numerous health behaviours including physical activity (Oettingen, 2012). Drawing from diverse theoretical perspectives (e.g., Bechara, 2005; Lawton, Conner, \& McEachan, 2009; Williams, 2010), recent meta-analytic evidence suggests that affective judgements (e.g., enjoyable-unenjoyable) exert greater influence on physical activity behaviors than health-related instrumental judgements (e.g., useful-useless; Rhodes, Fiala, \& Conner, 2009). Nevertheless, research has yet to utilize mental contrasting as a means of targeting affective judgements, through intervention, in order to bolster physical activity promotion efforts. This research will examine how an affective mental contrasting intervention will change university students' affective judgements in comparison to instrumental mental contrasting and standard mental contrasting comparison conditions, and the subsequent impact of these changes on physical activity behaviour.

Conditions

• Exercise
• Attitude to Health
• Motivation
• Goals

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Mental Contrasting	n the mental contrasting activity participants will be asked by the researcher to consider the best outcome associated with engaging in physical activity, as well as the obstacles they may encounter while completing the activity. The first question will ask participants to name the most positive outcome of realizing their goal (e.g., feeling more awake during classes; weight loss). The second question will ask participants to name the most critical obstacle (e.g., feeling tired; rain) to reaching their goal.

Timeline

• Start date: 2015-01-01
• Primary completion: 2015-11-01
• Completion: 2015-11-01
• First posted: 2015-11-26
• Last updated: 2015-11-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Canada