Reported theory use in walking interventions: a literature review and research agenda

There is mixed evidence with some suggesting walking can be increased up to the recommended level through interventions based on behaviour change models and others showing partial or no effects [Arbour and Ginis (A randomised controlled trial of the effects of implementation intentions on women's walking behaviour. Psychol Health, 2009;24:49-65); Merom et al. (Can a motivational intervention overcome an unsupportive environment for walking-findings from the Step-by-Step Study. Ann Behav Med 2009;38:137-46); Ornes and Ransdell (A pilot study examining exercise self-efficacy as a mediator for walking behavior in college-age women. Perceptual Motor Skills, 2010;110:1098-104)]. Taken together, prior studies suggest that ongoing research attention is warranted. Walking behaviour change intervention studies were searched using key search words 'walking promotion' and 'pedometer' in the PubMed database. Initially, 87 articles were found and 25 walking behaviour change interventions were reviewed to focus attention on reported theory use. Results of the review suggest that interventions that are theoretically underpinned may be no more effective than their counterparts. The Transtheoretical Model (TTM) and Social Cognitive Models were most frequently reported with positive effects noted for TTM use. The review also indicates that using single theory may be better than using multiple theories in a single intervention.