- Title
- The case for health behaviour model comparison and theoretical integration: comparing and combining predictions of models in order to optimise the prediction of health behaviours
- Creator
- Richards, Jay
- Relation
- University of Newcastle Research Higher Degree Thesis
- Resource Type
- thesis
- Date
- 2015
- Description
- Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Description
- The health behaviour literature is currently littered with theoretical models offering competing accounts of the determinants of health behaviour. However, despite the large amount of research there is still no consensus regarding which model/s are the most useful and accurate. A reason for this is that there are few studies comparing these models for their effectiveness in explaining health behaviour. One method of determining which health behaviour models are superior is directly comparing models for accuracy. Another method of improving the prediction of health behaviour may be theoretical integration – that is combining predictions of multiple models within the rich health behaviour literature in order to develop an integrated model with greater explanatory power than its constituent models. The four research studies presented herein represent examples of how model comparison and theoretical integration may be applied to identify the existing health behaviour models with greatest explanatory power and to increase the explanatory power of such models respectively. Study 1 investigates how fear-based messages impact on individuals’ health knowledge. It also investigates whether health knowledge contributes to the prediction of intentions to exercise or adopt a healthy diet after controlling for Protection Motivation Theory constructs. Results suggest that fear-based messages do not affect information retention and that health knowledge does not explain unique variance in behavioural intentions. Studies 2 and 3 compared the predictions of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Protection Motivation Theory. Study 2 was conducted in the context of smoking and Study 3 was conducted in the context of diet and exercise. An integrated model which combined the predictions of the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Protection Motivation Theory was also devised and tested. Results of both studies suggested that the Theory of Planned Behaviour was the superior model – performing equivalently or better than Protection Motivation Theory in terms of accuracy for all health behaviours investigated. Investigating the integrated model highlighted relationships between constructs of both theories – most notably a consistent relationship between response-efficacy and attitudes. Finally, in Study 4 an integrated model combining the predictions of the Extended Parallel Process Model, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Stage Model and Risk Perception Attitude Framework is devised and tested. This model attempted to explain individuals’ responses to a fear-provoking health message based on their existing psychological characteristics and the message components. It was found that fear-provoking messages elicited little change in individuals’ perceptions of threat and efficacy and their attitudes and intentions. However, fear-provoking messages were associated with greater fear and maladaptive defensive responses – especially in those who were not already engaging in health protective behaviour. Numerous heretofore undiscovered associations between constructs of these models (e.g., individuals’ thoughts concerning the fear-provoking health message [Stage Model] being associated with reactance, defensive avoidance, self- and response-efficacy [Extended Parallel Process Model]) were also highlighted as a result of investigating the predictions of the integrated model. Taken together these findings suggest that model comparison can be utilised to identify the superior model from a candidate set of models. Further, theoretical integration can be utilised to increase the explanatory power of existing health behaviour models. Implications for theory and practice are discussed at length.
- Subject
- theoretical integration; model comparison; smoking; health behaviour; exercise; dietary behaviours; fear appeals; self-efficacy; theory of planned behaviour; protection motivation theory; extended parallel process model
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1308165
- Identifier
- uon:21621
- Rights
- Copyright 2015 Jay Richards
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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