Avishai, A, Conner, M orcid.org/0000-0002-6229-8143 and Sheeran, P (2019) Setting Realistic Health Goals: Antecedents and Consequences. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 53 (12). kaz012. pp. 1020-1031. ISSN 0883-6612
Abstract
Background
People often fail to translate their intentions into health behaviors.
Purpose
The present research examined a new potential moderator of intention–behavior relations, namely, how realistic or unrealistic are respective goal intentions. Goal realism was defined as the degree to which intentions are aligned with expectations (i.e., predicted performance).
Methods
A validation study (N = 81) examined our novel goal realism measure. Study 1 (N = 246) tested goal importance, fantasy proneness, and pathways thinking as predictors of realistic goal setting using a cross-sectional questionnaire design. Moderation of the intention–behavior relation was tested in prospective surveys of cervical cancer screening (Study 2, N = 854), physical activity (Study 3, N = 237), and performance of a suite of 15 health behaviors (Study 4, N = 378).
Results
The validation study offered preliminary evidence concerning the convergent and predictive validity of the goal realism measure. Study 1 showed that goal importance, fantasy proneness, and pathways thinking interacted to predict how realistic were intentions to perform 11 health behaviors. In Study 2, realistic intentions better predicted women’s attendance for cervical cancer screening compared with unrealistic intentions. Study 3 confirmed this finding for a frequently performed behavior (physical activity). In Study 4, multilevel modeling of longitudinal data for 15 health behaviors again revealed a significant goal realism × intention interaction. Greater realism was associated with improved prediction of behavior by intention. The interaction term remained significant even when past behavior, perceived behavioral control, and other predictors were taken into account.
Conclusions
The present findings offer new insights into the factors that lead to more realistic intentions and demonstrate that goal realism influences how effectively intentions are translated into action.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © Society of Behavioral Medicine 2019. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Annals of Behavioral Medicine following peer review. The version of record is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaz012 |
Keywords: | Goal realism; Health behavior; Goal importance; Pathways thinking; Fantasy proneness |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Psychology (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 23 Jul 2019 10:23 |
Last Modified: | 11 Apr 2020 00:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1093/abm/kaz012 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:148857 |