Combining motivational and volitional interventions to promote exercise participation: Protection motivation theory and implementation intentions

TLDR

The study compared a protection‑motivation‑theory‑based motivational intervention with the same intervention plus implementation‑intention volitional strategies. A randomized longitudinal trial measured PMT variables and implementation intentions in 248 participants across three time‑points over two weeks. The PMT intervention raised threat and coping appraisals and intentions but did not increase exercise behavior, whereas adding implementation intentions dramatically increased exercise behavior without affecting intentions.

Abstract

Objective: This study compared a motivational intervention based on protection motivation theory (PMT, Rogers, 1975, 1983) with the same motivational intervention augmented by a volitional intervention based on implementation intentions (Gollwitzer, 1993). Design: The study had a longitudinal design, involving three waves of data collection over a 2‐week period, incorporating an experimental manipulation of PMT variables at Time 1 and a volitional, implementation intention intervention at Time 2. Method: Participants ( N =248) were randomly allocated to a control group or one of two intervention groups. Cognitions and exercise behaviour were measured at three time‐points over a 2‐week period. Results: The motivational intervention significantly increased threat and coping appraisal and intentions to engage in exercise but did not bring about a significant increase in subsequent exercise behaviour. In contrast, the combined protection motivation theory/implementation intention intervention had a dramatic effect on subsequent exercise behaviour. Thisvolitional intervention did not influence behavioural intention or any other motivational variables. Conclusions: It is concluded that supplementing PMT with implementation intentions strengthens the ability of the model to explain behaviour. This has implications for health education programmes, which should aim to increase both participants' motivation and their volition.