학술논문

Why do people sit? A framework for targeted behavior change.
Document Type
Article
Source
Health Psychology Review. Dec2023, Vol. 17 Issue 4, p641-654. 14p.
Subject
*SEDENTARY lifestyles
*STANDING position
*BEHAVIOR
*BEHAVIOR therapy
*PSYCHOLOGY
*PHYSICAL activity
*HEALTH behavior
*TELEVISION
*THEORY
*GOAL (Psychology)
*MEALS
*MOTOR ability
*HEALTH promotion
Language
ISSN
1743-7199
Abstract
To improve health and wellbeing, it is crucial that people regularly interrupt their sitting. In this paper, we propose a framework for examining and changing sitting behavior that addresses two key steps in the process towards developing effective interventions. First, we suggest that research should move away from its current focus on sitting time, which is an outcome of behavior. Rather, researchers should focus on stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand transitions, which are discrete units of behavior. Second, drawing on goal hierarchy models, we suggest that people rarely engage in stand-to-sit and sit-to-stand transitions for the purpose of being in a sitting or standing position; rather, we suggest that these transitions are means to higher-order goals (e.g., to complete work tasks, to watch television, to eat dinner). To improve adherence to and effectiveness of sitting behavior interventions, intervention designers should aim to increase the frequency of sit-to-stand (and stand-to-sit) transitions. To achieve this aim, intervention designers should capitalize on the higher-order goals that are typically served by these transitions. We suggest four concrete intervention strategies to increase sit-to-stand transitions in congruence with people’s everyday goals. We also describe the implications of our framework for theory and methods in sitting behavior research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]