Health goal priming as a situated intervention tool: how to benefit from nonconscious motivational routes to health behaviour

Figures & data

Figure 1. A framework for situated interventions that change the effects of situational cues on health behaviour: changing features of critical situations through cueing interventions, or changing situated conceptualisations through training interventions.

Table 1. Five principles for the effective application of health goal primes, and examples of how to apply these principles in interventions to improve nonconscious regulation of health behavior.

Principle	Examples of applications in previous research	Implications for interventions
1. Target individuals who value the primed goals	Primes targeted at individuals motivated towards dieting (e.g., Papies & Hamstra, 2010) or achievement (Hart & Albarracín, 2009)	Identify motivated target group, for example, individuals motivated to curb alcohol consumption, increase physical activity, increase fluid intake.
2. Tap into the right reasons	Primes referring to slim figure (Papies et al., 2014) or to being fit (Wryobeck & Chen, 2003)	Identify what specific, possibly long-term motivation underlies goals of target group, for example, productivity, physical strength, physical appearance, longevity.
3. Use effective cues	Primes referring to positive outcomes to be achieved (rather than negative outcomes to be avoided or neutral concepts; Harrell, 2012; Papies et al., 2014)	Identify positive cues strongly associated with goal among target group, for example, positive displays of physical strength, healthy skin, healthy older age.
4. Attract attention at the right time	Primes integrated into restaurant menus (Papies & Veling, 2013) or at presented at beginning of grocery shopping episode (Papies et al., 2014)	Identify at which point critical goal-relevant decision is made in targeted setting, for example,  when entering workplace cafeteria, when deciding on whether to bike or drive to work, in the soft drink aisle of the grocery store.
5. Ensure that health goal pursuit is possible	Targeted individuals aware of which behaviours are in line with health goal, such as ordering salad (Papies & Veling, 2013) and avoiding high-calorie snack purchases (Papies et al., 2014).	Ensure knowledge and availability of healthy options, such as fruit, water, stairs, and bike paths.

Papies, E. K., & Hamstra, P. (2010). Goal priming and eating behavior: Enhancing self-regulation by environmental cues. Health Psychology, 29(4), 384–388. doi:10.1037/a0019877

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Hart, W., & Albarracín, D. (2009). The effects of chronic achievement motivation and achievement primes on the activation of achievement and fun goals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97(6), 1129–1141. doi:10.1037/a0017146

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Papies, E. K., Potjes, I., Keesman, M., Schwinghammer, S., & van Koningsbruggen, G. M. (2014). Using health primes to reduce unhealthy snack purchases among overweight consumers in a grocery store. International Journal of Obesity, 38(4), 597–602. doi:10.1038/ijo.2013.136

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Wryobeck, J., & Chen, Y. (2003). Using priming techniques to facilitate health behaviours. Clinical Psychologist, 7(2), 105–108. doi:10.1080/13284200410001707553

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Harrell, A. (2012). Do religious cognitions promote prosociality? Rationality and Society, 24(4), 463–482. doi:10.1177/1043463112463930

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Papies, E. K., & Veling, H. (2013). Healthy dining: Subtle diet reminders at the point of purchase increase low-calorie food choices among both chronic and current dieters. Appetite, 61, 1–7.

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