Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ Motivation
Becoming committed to a new health-related goal and pursuing it is difficult for many people. The present study (a) developed and tested the psychometric properties of a brief Goal Ambivalence Scale (GAS) in a sample of dieters and (b) tested the effectiveness of providing dieters with feedback on t...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Behavioral Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/11/441 |
| _version_ | 1797469042174328832 |
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| author | Javad S. Fadardi Samiyeh Borhani W. Miles Cox Alan W. Stacy |
| author_facet | Javad S. Fadardi Samiyeh Borhani W. Miles Cox Alan W. Stacy |
| author_sort | Javad S. Fadardi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Becoming committed to a new health-related goal and pursuing it is difficult for many people. The present study (a) developed and tested the psychometric properties of a brief Goal Ambivalence Scale (GAS) in a sample of dieters and (b) tested the effectiveness of providing dieters with feedback on their scores on the GAS. In Study 1, dieters (<i>n</i> = 334, 74% females) completed the GAS and a measure of Health-Related Concerns and Actions (HRCA). The standardization of the GAS was supported by CVR and CVI, the results of a PCA, and strong reliability and validity statistics. In Study 2, the experimental group of dieters (<i>n</i> = 107; 67.50% female) received feedback on their GAS scores, but the control group did not (<i>n</i> = 111; 62.30% female). Compared with the control group, the experimental group reported a greater need for information, greater readiness to change, and higher perceived situational confidence in resisting food that was inconsistent with their dieting goals. To conclude, the GAS could be used in health settings to provide clients and providers with an objective, fast measure of commitment to achieving health-related goals. Moreover, immediate feedback on health-related goals may improve change motivation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:15:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-14610cc9ee3342359629222aa8684472 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-328X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:15:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Behavioral Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-14610cc9ee3342359629222aa86844722023-11-24T03:45:51ZengMDPI AGBehavioral Sciences2076-328X2022-11-01121144110.3390/bs12110441Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ MotivationJavad S. Fadardi0Samiyeh Borhani1W. Miles Cox2Alan W. Stacy3School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 91711, USAFaculty of Education and Psychology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad 9177948991, IranSchool of Human and Behavioral Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor LL57 2AS, UKSchool of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA 91711, USABecoming committed to a new health-related goal and pursuing it is difficult for many people. The present study (a) developed and tested the psychometric properties of a brief Goal Ambivalence Scale (GAS) in a sample of dieters and (b) tested the effectiveness of providing dieters with feedback on their scores on the GAS. In Study 1, dieters (<i>n</i> = 334, 74% females) completed the GAS and a measure of Health-Related Concerns and Actions (HRCA). The standardization of the GAS was supported by CVR and CVI, the results of a PCA, and strong reliability and validity statistics. In Study 2, the experimental group of dieters (<i>n</i> = 107; 67.50% female) received feedback on their GAS scores, but the control group did not (<i>n</i> = 111; 62.30% female). Compared with the control group, the experimental group reported a greater need for information, greater readiness to change, and higher perceived situational confidence in resisting food that was inconsistent with their dieting goals. To conclude, the GAS could be used in health settings to provide clients and providers with an objective, fast measure of commitment to achieving health-related goals. Moreover, immediate feedback on health-related goals may improve change motivation.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/11/441health behavior changechange motivationtreatment adherencegoal ambivalencediet |
| spellingShingle | Javad S. Fadardi Samiyeh Borhani W. Miles Cox Alan W. Stacy Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ Motivation Behavioral Sciences health behavior change change motivation treatment adherence goal ambivalence diet |
| title | Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ Motivation |
| title_full | Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ Motivation |
| title_fullStr | Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ Motivation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ Motivation |
| title_short | Do I Really Want to Change? The Effectiveness of Goal Ambivalence Feedback on Dieters’ Motivation |
| title_sort | do i really want to change the effectiveness of goal ambivalence feedback on dieters motivation |
| topic | health behavior change change motivation treatment adherence goal ambivalence diet |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/12/11/441 |
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