Perceived behavioral control as a potential precursor of walking three times a week: Patient’s perspectives
Abstract
Background: Behavior change theories can identify people’s main motivations to engage in recommended
health practices and thus provide better tools to design interventions, particularly
human centered design interventions.
Objectives: This study had two objectives: (a) to identify salient beliefs about walking three times a week
for 30 minutes nonstop among patients with hypertension in a low-resource setting and, (b)
to measure the relationships among intentions, attitudes, perceived social pressure and perceived
behavioral control about this behavior.
Methods: Face-to-face interviews with 34 people living with hypertension were conducted in September-October
2011 in Lima, Peru, and data analysis was performed in 2015. The Reasoned: Action Approach was used to study the people’s decisions to walk. We elicited people’s
salient beliefs and measured the theoretical constructs associated with this behavior.
Results: Results pointed at salient key behavioral, normative and control beliefs. In particular, perceived
behavioral control appeared as an important determinant of walking and a small set of control
beliefs were identified as potential targets of health communication campaigns, including (not)
having someone to walk with, having work or responsibilities, or having no time.
Conclusions: This theory-based study with a focus on end-users provides elements to inform the design
of an intervention that would motivate people living with hypertension to walk on a regular
basis in low-resource settings.
How to cite
Busse P, & Miranda, J. J. (2018) Perceived behavioral control as a potential precursor of walking three times a week: Patient’s perspectives. PLoS ONE 13(2). https://doi.org/ 10.1371/journal.pone.0192915Publisher
PLOSResearch area / line
Calidad de vida y bienestar / SaludCategory / Subcategory
PendienteSubject
Journal
PLoS ONEISSN
1932-6203Collections
- Comunicación [122]