A meta-analysis of the effect of visiting zoos and aquariums on visitors' conservation knowledge, beliefs, and behavior.

Zoos and aquariums are well placed to connect visitors with the issues facing biodiversity globally and many deliver interventions that seek to influence visitors' beliefs and behaviors with respect to conservation. However, despite primary studies evaluating the effect of such interventions, the overall effect of engaging with zoos and the factors that influence this effect remain unclear. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the effect of zoo-led interventions on knowledge, beliefs (attitudes, intentions, self-efficacy, and social norms), and behavior among zoo visitors. These outcomes were identified using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a theoretical lens. We identified and described the nature of zoo-led interventions in 56 studies and used the behavior change technique (BCT) taxonomy to identify 6 specific BCTs used in interventions to date. Multilevel meta-analyses revealed a small to medium positive effect of engaging with zoo-led interventions on outcomes (d+  = 0.40, 95% confidence interval = 0.28-0.51). Specifically, visitors were more knowledgeable about conservation issues, held more favorable attitudes toward conservation, and reported being more likely to act for the benefit of biodiversity. No evidence of publication bias was present. Effect sizes were, however, heterogeneous and subgroup analyses revealed that the nature of the intervention or type of outcome did not explain this variance. Larger effects were, however, found in studies conducted at a single institution relative to research at multiple institutions and studies that used within-participant designs relative to between-participant designs. Taken together, these findings demonstrate how behavior change frameworks can be used to describe zoo-led interventions and supports the assertion that zoos and aquariums can promote changes in beliefs and behaviors that may help protect biodiversity.

Metaanálisis del efecto de la visita a acuarios y zoológicos sobre el conocimiento, creencias y comportamientos de conservación de los visitantes © 2024 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Resumen Los zoológicos y los acuarios están bien posicionados para conectar a los visitantes con temas mundiales de biodiversidad y varios cuentan con intervenciones que buscan influir las creencias y el comportamiento de los visitantes con respecto a la conservación. Sin embargo, con todo y los estudios primarios que evalúan el efecto de dichas intervenciones, aún no está claro el efecto general de participar en los zoológicos y los factores que influyen sobre este efecto. Realizamos una revisión sistemática para investigar el efecto de las intervenciones en los zoológicos sobre el conocimiento, creencias (actitud, intención, autosuficiencia y normas sociales) y comportamiento de sus visitantes. Usamos la teoría del comportamiento planeado como lente teórico para identificar los resultados. Identificamos y describimos la naturaleza de las intervenciones en los zoológicos en 56 estudios y usamos la taxonomía de las técnicas de modificación de conducta (TMC) para identificar seis TMC específicas que se usan hoy en día en dichas intervenciones. Los metaanálisis multinivel revelaron un efecto positivo de pequeño a mediano sobre los resultados causado por la participación en las intervenciones de los zoológicos (d+ = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.28 - 0.51). En específico, los visitantes fueron más conocedores sobre los temas de conservación, tuvieron actitudes más favorables hacia la conservación y reportaron tener mayor probabilidad de actuar en beneficio de la biodiversidad. No hubo evidencias de sesgos en las publicaciones. Sin embargo, el tamaño de los efectos fue heterogéneo y el análisis de los subgrupos reveló que la naturaleza de la intervención o el tipo de resultados no explicaban esta varianza. A pesar de esto, encontramos efectos más grandes en los estudios realizados en una sola institución en relación con la investigación realizada en varias instituciones y los estudios que usaron diseños intraparticipantes en relación a los que usaron diseños interparticipantes. Nuestra revisión demuestra cómo los marcos de modificación conductual pueden usarse para describir las intervenciones en los zoológicos y acuarios y respalda la aseveración de que estas instituciones pueden promover cambios en las creencias y el comportamiento que pueden ayudar a proteger la biodiversidad.

Longitudinal clustering of health behaviours and their association with multimorbidity in older adults in England: A latent class analysis.

BACKGROUND: Health-risk behaviours such as smoking, unhealthy nutrition, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity (termed SNAP behaviours) are leading risk factors for multimorbidity and tend to cluster (i.e. occur in specific combinations within distinct subpopulations). However, little is known about how these clusters change with age in older adults, and whether and how cluster membership is associated with multimorbidity. METHODS: Repeated measures latent class analysis using data from Waves 4-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA; n = 4759) identified clusters of respondents with common patterns of SNAP behaviours over time. Disease status (from Wave 9) was used to assess disorders of eight body systems, multimorbidity, and complex multimorbidity. Multinomial and binomial logistic regressions were used to examine how clusters were associated with socio-demographic characteristics and disease status. FINDINGS: Seven clusters were identified: Low-risk (13.4%), Low-risk yet inactive (16.8%), Low-risk yet heavy drinkers (11.4%), Abstainer yet inactive (20.0%), Poor diet and inactive (12.9%), Inactive, heavy drinkers (14.5%), and High-risk smokers (10.9%). There was little evidence that these clusters changed with age. People in the clusters characterised by physical inactivity (in combination with other risky behaviours) had lower levels of education and wealth. People in the heavy drinking clusters were predominantly male. Compared to other clusters, people in the Low-risk and Low-risk yet heavy drinkers had a lower prevalence of all health conditions studied. In contrast, the Abstainer but inactive cluster comprised mostly women and had the highest prevalence of multimorbidity, complex multimorbidity, and endocrine disorders. High-risk smokers were most likely to have respiratory disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Health-risk behaviours tend to be stable as people age and so ought to be addressed early. We identified seven clusters of older adults with distinct patterns of behaviour, socio-demographic characteristics and multimorbidity prevalence. Intervention developers could use this information to identify high-risk subpopulations and tailor interventions to their behaviour patterns and socio-demographic profiles.

Can behavior change techniques be delivered via short text messages?

Despite significant advancements in behavioral science it is unclear whether behavior change techniques (or BCTs) can be delivered to large numbers of people in a cost-effective and reliable way. The current study investigated whether it is possible to reliably deliver BCTs using short text messages. Short text messages were designed to deliver each of the 93 BCTs specified in the BCT taxonomy v1. Following initial coding and refinement by the team, a Delphi study with a panel of 15 experts coded which BCT each short text message was designed to deliver and also rated whether they were likely to be understood by recipients and easily converted to target different behaviors. After two iterations, the experts correctly assigned 66 of the 93 messages to the BCT that they were designed to deliver and indicated that these messages were likely to be easy to apply to a range of behaviors and understood by recipients. Experts were not able to identify which BCT 27 of the messages were designed to deliver and it was notable that some clusters of BCTs (e.g., "Goals and planning") were easier to deliver via short text messages than other clusters (e.g., "Scheduled consequences"). The findings suggest that short text messages can be a reliable way to deliver many, but not all, BCTs. The implications of the current study are discussed with respect to the delivery of specific BCTs and clusters of the taxonomy, as well as the need to test the acceptability of interventions delivered via short messages and the impact of messages on behavior.

Identifying ways to support people to make changes to their behavior is central to many of the grand challenges facing science and society. Ninety-three unique behavior change techniques (BCTs) have been identified; however, it is hard to reliably deliver these techniques to large populations in an efficient and cost-effective way. We developed a list of short text messages to deliver each of the 93 BCTs to promote cycling. Fifteen experts agreed that 66 of the messages delivered their intended BCT and that these messages would be easily understood by people and be easily modified to target different behaviors.

Exploring attitudes towards more sustainable dentistry among adults living in the UK.

Introduction Despite evidence that public pressure can promote sustainability in various domains (for example, retail and travel), no research has considered the public's attitudes towards sustainability in dentistry.Methods A questionnaire was developed to measure attitudes towards sustainable dentistry among adults living in the UK and their willingness to make compromises to reduce the impact of their dental treatment on the environment. In total, 344 adults completed the questionnaire that also measured pro-environmental identity and concern, general willingness to make compromises for the environment, and the tendency to engage in ecological behaviours.Results Participants reported positive attitudes towards sustainable dentistry, and were willing to compromise their time, convenience and durability of their dental treatment, as well as pay more, to reduce the impact of their dental work on the environment. Participants were not willing to compromise their health or the aesthetics of their teeth. There was also evidence that participants' current oral health shaped their attitudes towards sustainable dentistry, such that better oral health was associated with more positive attitudes towards more sustainable dentistry.Conclusions Given that public pressure can be a significant driver of change, these findings provide valuable insight into the kind of compromises that may be accepted by the public in order to improve the sustainability of dental services.

Using social cognition models to understand why people, such as perfectionists, struggle to respond with self-compassion.

Responding with self-compassion to lapses in goal pursuit helps people to achieve their goals, yet evidence suggests that some people struggle to respond with self-compassion. The current research proposes that social cognition models such the Theory of Planned Behaviour and the Prototype Willingness Model could explain why some people, such as those high in perfectionistic concerns, struggle to respond with self-compassion. We therefore conducted a pre-registered prospective study that measured participants' beliefs about self-compassion, difficulties enacting self-compassionate responding, perfectionistic concerns, and then tested their ability to be self-compassionate in response to a recalled and future lapse. The results showed that participants were less likely to respond with self-compassion to lapses if they held negative beliefs about self-compassion and experienced difficulties enacting self-compassion. Participants high in perfectionistic concerns were more likely to have negative beliefs about self-compassion and experience difficulties enacting self-compassion. Together, these findings provide evidence that social cognition models can be used to understand self-compassionate responding and identify why some people struggle to respond with self-compassion to goal lapses.

Do people choose the same strategies to regulate other people's emotions as they choose to regulate their own?

How do people choose how to regulate others' emotional responses? We extended previous work on how the intensity of an emotional situation influences which strategies people choose to regulate their emotions (i.e., intrapersonal emotion regulation choice) to also consider the effect of intensity on which strategies people choose to regulate other people's emotions (i.e., interpersonal emotion regulation choice). Studies 1a and 1b found that the intensity of the emotional situation influenced whether participants chose distraction or reappraisal in both intrapersonal and interpersonal regulation contexts, but also that the effect of intensity differed between the contexts (participants choose reappraisal more frequently for others in intense situations than for themselves). However, this difference was stronger (or only found) when participants helped the other person to control their emotions first. Two further studies examined whether differences in perceived intensity (Study 2) and/or the anticipated effort or effectiveness of the strategies (Study 3) could explain the difference between intrapersonal and interpersonal contexts. Together, the findings suggest that the regulation strategies that people choose depend on the intensity of the emotional situation, the target of regulation, and whether people choose how to regulate their own emotions before choosing how to regulate another person's emotions, with preliminary evidence that differences between intrapersonal and interpersonal emotion regulation choice may be associated with differences in the anticipated effort and effectiveness of regulation between these contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Improving sleep quality leads to better mental health: A meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

The extent to which sleep is causally related to mental health is unclear. One way to test the causal link is to evaluate the extent to which interventions that improve sleep quality also improve mental health. We conducted a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials that reported the effects of an intervention that improved sleep on composite mental health, as well as on seven specific mental health difficulties. 65 trials comprising 72 interventions and N = 8608 participants were included. Improving sleep led to a significant medium-sized effect on composite mental health (g+ = -0.53), depression (g+ = -0.63), anxiety (g+ = -0.51), and rumination (g+ = -0.49), as well as significant small-to-medium sized effects on stress (g+ = -0.42), and finally small significant effects on positive psychosis symptoms (g+ = -0.26). We also found a dose response relationship, in that greater improvements in sleep quality led to greater improvements in mental health. Our findings suggest that sleep is causally related to the experience of mental health difficulties. Future research might consider how interventions that improve sleep could be incorporated into mental health services, as well as the mechanisms of action that explain how sleep exerts an effect on mental health.

Identifying the determinants of emotion regulation choice: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Day-to-day life is inundated with attempts to control emotions and a wealth of research has examined what strategies people use and how effective these strategies are. However, until more recently, research has often neglected more basic questions such as whether and how people choose to regulate their emotions (i.e. emotion regulation choice). In an effort to identify what we know and what we need to know, we systematically reviewed studies that examined potential determinants of whether and how people choose to regulate their emotions. Eighteen determinants were identified across 219 studies and were categorised as being affective, cognitive, motivational, individual or social-cultural in nature. Where there were sufficient primary studies, meta-analysis was used to quantify the size of the associations between potential determinants and measures of whether and how people choose to regulate their emotions. Based on the findings, we propose that people's decisions about whether and how to regulate their emotions are determined by factors relating to the individual doing the regulating, the emotion that is being regulated, and both the immediate situation and the broader social context in which the regulation is taking place.

The effect of direct and extended contact on attitudes towards social robots.

The development of social robots has the potential to address significant societal concerns, however, most people have limited experience of such technology. The present research investigated whether techniques borrowed from the psychology of intergroup relations - namely direct and extended contact - affect people's attitudes towards robots. Participants were provided with either direct contact with a social robot or extended contact (these participants watched a video recorded by a friend who had met the robot) before their explicit and implicit attitudes towards robots were measured. Results indicated that direct contact affected both explicit and implicit attitudes, while extended contact affected implicit attitudes. The implication of these findings is that contact with a robot, direct or indirect, can change attitudes; much as previous research has shown that contact with a person who is a member of an out-group can change attitudes towards that group. We conclude that methods and theories from the study of human intergroup relationships can be usefully applied to understand attitudes toward social robots.

Understanding the effects of time perspective: A meta-analysis testing a self-regulatory framework.

Despite extensive evidence that time perspective is associated with a range of important outcomes across a variety of life domains (e.g., health, education, wealth), the question of why time perspective has such wide-reaching effects remains unknown. The present review proposes that self-regulatory processes can offer insight into why time perspective is linked to outcomes. To test this idea we classified measures of time perspective according to the dimension of time perspective that they reflected (e.g., past, present-hedonistic, future) and measures of self-regulation according to the self-regulatory process (i.e., goal setting, goal monitoring, and goal operating), ability, or outcome that they reflected. A systematic search identified 378 studies, reporting 2,000 tests of the associations between measures of time perspective and self-regulation. Random-effects meta-analyses with robust variance estimation found that a future time perspective had small-to-medium-sized positive associations with goal setting (r+ = 0.25), goal monitoring (r+ = 0.19), goal operating (r+ = 0.24), self-regulatory ability (r+ = 0.35), and outcomes (r+ = 0.18). Present time perspective, including being present-hedonistic and present-fatalistic, was negatively associated with self-regulatory processes, ability, and outcomes (r+ ranged from -0.00 to -0.27). Meta-analytic mediation models found that the relationship between future time perspective and outcomes was mediated by goal monitoring, goal operating, and self-regulatory ability, but not goal setting. As the first test of why time perspective is associated with key outcomes, the findings highlight the central role of self-regulation processes and abilities for understanding why people with certain time perspectives experience better outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Assessing and promoting the use of implementation intentions in clinical practice.

RATIONALE: Striving for goals is a key part of psychological therapy, but people often struggle to translate their goals into action. Prior evidence has found that forming if then plans (or 'implementation intentions') is an effective way to bridge the gap between goals and action. However, it is unclear if therapists naturally prompt their clients to form implementation intentions and, if not, whether training would be feasible. METHOD AND RESULTS STUDY 1: Researchers coded the behavior change techniques used in 40 sessions of therapy for depression using a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach and a Person-Centered Experiential Therapy approach and found that therapists do not typically prompt their clients to form implementation intentions in either therapeutic approach. METHOD AND RESULTS STUDIES 2 AND 3: The aim was to develop and evaluate a training program for therapists on implementation intentions. Training was delivered face-to-face to 69 cognitive-behavioral therapists (Study 2), and online to 87 therapists working across models (Study 3) and therapists completed self-report measures of their use and knowledge of implementation intentions before training, post-training, and follow-up. The training significantly increased therapists' use and knowledge of implementation intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings suggest therapists can be trained in the use of implementation intentions and that appropriate content might be integrated into training programs.

A meta-analysis of the effects of training clinicians in exposure therapy on knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior.

Despite evidence that exposure therapy is an effective way to treat anxiety, many clinicians fail to implement it appropriately. The current review investigated whether training can improve practicing clinicians' beliefs about and implementation of exposure therapy. A systematic search of four databases (PsycINFO, Medline, Scopus, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses) identified fifteen studies evaluating the impact of training in exposure therapy. A series of meta-analyses revealed that training had large-sized positive effects on clinicians' knowledge of exposure therapy (d+ = 1.18), attitudes towards exposure therapy (d+ = 0.84), and self-efficacy associated with delivering exposure therapy (d+ = 0.72). There were, however, only medium-sized positive effects on clinicians' intentions to use exposure therapy (d+ = 0.41) and behavior (d+ = 0.35). These findings suggest that training can provide clinicians with the knowledge and confidence to use exposure therapy, but might not be sufficient to promote changes in practice. Future research should consider incorporating volitional interventions into training (e.g., if-then planning or implementation intentions), in order to bridge this gap.

Understanding obesity among companion dogs: New measures of owner's beliefs and behaviour and associations with body condition scores.

This research aimed to improve our understanding of how owners' beliefs and behaviour are associated with obesity in companion dogs. To do this, we employed new theoretical frameworks and integrated previously reported measures to curate a collection of brief, user-friendly self-report measures to assess owner factors. The reliability and validity of these was examined in two phases of empirical research, each with a cross-sectional questionnaire design that also examined the validity of assessing body condition score (BCS) from photographs submitted by owners. Phase 1 (n = 47 dog owners from France) found that the brief owner-report measures correlated with the long-form measures (all correlations except one exceeded r = 0.70). BCS as coded from photographs were highly correlated with a vet's assessment of the same dogs (r = 0.67). Phase 2 (n = 3339 dog owners from France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Russia) investigated which measures are associated with obesity among companion dogs. Perceptions of the dog's vulnerability to the threat of obesity, perceived weight status, perceived costs associated with ownership, normative beliefs about feeding, social support from friends, and being in the precontemplation stage of change predicted BCS alongside demographic factors (e.g., dog's age, neutered status). Taken together, the findings provide a method for assessing a wide range of factors that may be associated with obesity among companion dogs and point to potential targets for interventions designed to reduce obesity.

Self-regulatory consequences of observing others making goal progress: A longitudinal field study in weight loss groups.

OBJECTIVE: What happens when people see others making progress toward a goal that they also hold? Is it motivating or could it undermine goal pursuit because people feel that they have made progress themselves (i.e., they experience vicarious goal satiation)? METHODS: We investigated these questions in a longitudinal field context - a group weight loss programme. N = 132 participants who were overweight or obese and attended weekly weight loss classes completed questionnaires over 11 weeks to investigate the consequences of observing other people making progress toward their goal of losing weight RESULTS: Observing others making good progress was associated with participants holding stronger intentions to lose weight themselves (B = 0.04, p = .012), positive goal-related affect (B = 0.27, p = .017), and feeling that they were also making progress themselves (B = 0.22, p < .001). However, observing others making good progress was also associated with losing a smaller amount of weight over the following week (B = .13, p = .005). Mediation analyses showed a significant indirect effect of observing others making good progress, via feelings about their own progress, on changes in weight, B = .02, 95% CI [.00, .04]. CONCLUSIONS: People who view others making progress tend to be less successful at losing weight themselves over the following week. The findings suggest that this is, in part, explained by the person feeling as if they have made progress themselves; thereby providing the first demonstration of vicarious goal satiation in a field context. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Many people strive toward health goals (e.g., try to lose weight) with other people. However, research into vicarious goal satiation (VGS) suggests that seeing someone else achieve their goal may lead people to believe that they have made progress themselves and undermine goal pursuit. What does this study add? A longitudinal test of VGS in a field context, namely weight loss groups. Observing other people do well was motivating for the observer. They also believed that they had made progress themselves and were less successful at losing weight.

Does the structure (tunneled vs. free-roam) and content (if-then plans vs. choosing strategies) of a brief online alcohol intervention effect engagement and effectiveness? A randomized controlled trial.

Despite the potential of brief online interventions for reducing alcohol consumption, their effectiveness may be compromised by low levels of engagement and the inclusion of ineffective behavior change techniques. To test whether (i) a tunneled version of an intervention (where the content is delivered in a prespecified order) leads to greater engagement and greater reductions in alcohol consumption than a free-roam version (where the content can be viewed in any order) and (ii) forming if-then plans linking strategies to cut down with high-risk situations leads to greater reductions in alcohol consumption than only choosing strategies to cut down. Participants (N = 286 university staff and students) were randomly allocated to one of four versions of a brief online alcohol intervention in a 2 (structure: tunneled vs. free-roam) by 2 (planning: strategies vs. if-then plans) factorial design. Engagement (pages visited, time) was recorded automatically. Alcohol consumption (weekly units) was assessed at baseline and 1- and 6-month follow-up. Participants who received the tunneled version viewed significantly more pages and spent significantly more time on the website than those who received the free-roam version. Significant reductions in alcohol consumption were observed at follow-up; however, neither the structure of the intervention nor planning had a significant effect on reductions in alcohol consumption. Tunneled online interventions can increase engagement, but this may not translate into greater changes in behavior. Further experimental research using factorial designs is needed to identify the key behavior change techniques to include in brief online interventions.

Using the theory of planned behaviour and implementation intentions to reduce binge drinking in new university students.

OBJECTIVE: Excessive alcohol consumption, including binge drinking, increases when students enter university. This study tests whether combining messages targeting theory of planned behaviour (TPB) constructs with if-then plans (i.e. implementation intentions) to avoid binge drinking reduces binge drinking in new university students. DESIGN: One month after starting university, students (N = 407) were randomly assigned to condition in a 2 (TPB messages) × 2 (implementation intentions) factorial design. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Cognitions about binge drinking were assessed immediately post-intervention. Frequency of binge drinking was assessed at one-month follow-up (n = 205). RESULTS: Participants who viewed the messages had significantly weaker intentions to engage in binge drinking and less favourable cognitions about binge drinking (affective attitude, descriptive norms, and self-efficacy) than those who did not view the messages. In addition, participants who formed an implementation intention to avoid binge drinking reported significantly fewer instances of binge drinking at follow-up. CONCLUSION: The findings provide some support for the use of interventions based on the TPB to reduce intentions to engage in binge drinking and for forming implementation intentions to reduce the frequency of binge drinking in new university students. No evidence was found for the synergistic effect of combining the two interventions.

The Relationship Between a Balanced Time Perspective and Self-monitoring of Blood Glucose Among People With Type 1 Diabetes.

Background: Self-monitoring of blood glucose helps people with type 1 diabetes to maintain glycemic control and reduce the risk of complications. However, adherence to blood glucose monitoring is often suboptimal. Purpose: Like many health behaviors, self-monitoring of blood glucose involves exerting effort in the present to achieve future benefits. As such, the present research explored whether individual differences in time perspective-specifically, the extent to which people have a balanced time perspective-are associated with the frequency with which people with type 1 diabetes monitor their blood glucose and, thus, maintain glycemic control. Methods: Adults with type 1 diabetes completed measures of time perspective, feelings associated with monitoring, attitudes toward monitoring, and trait self-control. Objective data regarding the frequency with which participants monitored their blood glucose levels and their long-term glycemic control were extracted from their medical records. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses and tests of indirect effects (N = 129) indicated that having a more balanced time perspective was associated with more frequent monitoring of blood glucose and, as a result, better glycemic control. Further analyses (N = 158) also indicated that there was an indirect relationship between balanced time perspective and monitoring of blood glucose via the feelings that participants associated with monitoring and their subsequent attitudes toward monitoring. Conclusions: These findings point to the importance and relevance of time perspective for understanding health-related behavior and may help to inform interventions designed to promote self-monitoring of blood glucose in people with type 1 diabetes.

A cluster randomized controlled trial of a theory-based sleep hygiene intervention for adolescents.

Study Objectives: To use theory to design and evaluate an intervention to promote sleep hygiene and health among adolescents. Methods: The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) were used to develop an intervention, which was then evaluated in a cluster randomized trial. Participants were high school students (N = 2,841, M age = 15.12, SD = 1.50). Adolescents in the intervention group received four face-to-face sessions providing behavior change techniques targeting the theoretical determinants of sleep hygiene. Adolescents in the control group only received educational material at the end of the study. The primary outcome was sleep hygiene measured at 1 and 6 months postintervention. A number of secondary outcomes were also measured, including beliefs about sleep, self-regulatory processes, and outcomes related to health and wellbeing. Results: Sleep hygiene was improved in the intervention group when compared with the control group at both follow-up points (coefficients = 0.16 and 0.19, 95% CIs = 0.12-0.20 and 0.15-0.23 at 1 and 6 months, respectively, for scores on the Adolescent Sleep Hygiene Scale), as were psychosocial and general aspects of health. Mediation analyses suggested that beliefs about sleep hygiene as specified by the TPB, along with self-regulatory processes from HAPA, both mediated the effect of the intervention on outcomes. In turn, the effects of the intervention on sleep hygiene mediated its impact on general health. Conclusions: Healthcare practitioners might consider intervention programs based on the TPB and the HAPA to improve sleep among adolescents. Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02551913) https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02551913.

Using research on self-regulation to understand and tackle the challenges that owners face helping their (overweight) dogs lose weight.

The present research sought to (i) understand the challenges that dog owners encounter in helping their pet lose weight, and (ii) develop and test an intervention designed to help dog owners to deal with these challenges. A series of focus groups (N = 79 dog owners, veterinarians, and industry experts) informed the content of an intervention designed to prompt owners to form if-then plans (or "implementation intentions") identifying challenges (e.g., inclement weather) and specifying how to respond (e.g., play with the dog indoors). This intervention was evaluated in a single-blind, randomized controlled trial (N = 106 owners of overweight dogs) against a control condition who were simply asked to set relevant goals. Changes in the owners' beliefs, behaviour, and the dog's weight and body condition were measured around 2 months later. The primary finding was that dogs in the intervention condition lost the same percentage of their body weight on average each week (M = -0.065, SD = 0.65) as dogs in the control condition (M = -0.24, SD = 0.55), F(1, 36) = 0.70, p = .41, eta2 = .019, although it should be noted that follow-up data was only available for around half of the sample. Analysis of the factors that were associated with changes in weight among the dogs in the trial suggested that owners' lack of knowledge about appropriate feeding and exercise was associated with poorer outcomes, suggesting that future interventions may need to provide information and help owners to set appropriate goals before encouraging them to make if-then plans to support the implementation of those goals.

How effective are interventions designed to help owners to change their behaviour so as to manage the weight of their companion dogs? A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The present review sought to evaluate whether - and to what extent - targeting owners' behaviour is an effective way to reduce the problem of overweight and obesity among companion dogs. METHODS: A systematic search of electronic databases identified 14 studies that evaluated the effect of an intervention targeting owners' behaviour on (i) the owner's behaviour or (ii) the weight, (iii) body fat, or (iv) body condition of the dog. We coded aspects of the study design (e.g., the outcome variable), intervention (e.g., use of theory, specific behaviour change techniques or BCTs, inclusion of nutritional intervention alongside the behavioural intervention), and sample (e.g., age, gender, and weight of the dogs at baseline) that could influence the effect sizes. RESULTS: The interventions had, on average, a medium sized effect on outcomes (d+ = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.96, k = 14, N = 384). The effect sizes from the primary studies were relatively homogenous, Q(13) = 12.10, p = .52 and the nature of the intervention, methodological and sample characteristics did not moderate the effect sizes. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The findings of the review suggest that targeting owners' behaviour can be an effective way to reduce overweight and obesity among companion dogs. However, this conclusion is based on a limited number of studies and so we hope that the present findings serve as the impetus for further research in this area.