Behavioral Approaches to Increase Physical Activity
No man, woman or child is an island! Although we Kansans are definitely individuals, we also value our strong bonds of family and friendship. We can build on those bonds for better health. Behavioral and social approaches to increase physical activity focus on teaching behavior management skills and structuring the social environment of communities so people who are trying to change their behavior are supported in that change. Friends, family members and groups can all be part of the solution. Although it can take a little time to acquire new behaviors, people can work together and encourage each other. And individuals can learn new ways to manage their own behavior to benefit their own health.
In fact, just consider these simple—but very effective!—strategies to make small changes that build on social relationships we already have.
School-based physical education
- Change lessons and policies to increase the amount of time children spend moving while in P.E. Either increase the time spent in P.E. or time students are moving during class.
- Modify existing activities to allow for shorter down times between movements.
- Modify lessons to teach students life-long physical activities and give them knowledge about health eating.
Social support interventions in community settings
- Focus on increasing physical activity through building, strengthening, and maintaining social networks for behavior change.
- Create new social networks of people who want to move more and eat better. When people have similar goals, they can support and encourage each other. The Walk Kansas program from K-State Research and Extension is a good example of social networks in action.
- You can also work within existing networks such as churches, workplaces, neighborhoods, and schools. Build on these relationships for support.
- Buddy systems and health contracts create a gentle sense of obligation to follow through on making changes for better health. We don't want to let our friends down, so we'll be more likely to do what we said we would.
- All these social support interventions provide important connections that are critical to overall well being and good mental health, as well as being crucial to community efforts.
Individual health behavior change programs
- An individual health behavior change program is tailored to your specific interests, preferences, and readiness for change. One size does NOT fit all!
- One part of a successful community-wide campaign for lifestyle change is to help individuals tailor recommendations for their own unique situations.
- Health behavior change programs teach participants the behavioral skills they need so they can learn to include more movement and better nutrition in their daily routines.
- You can work with a health care professional such as your physician, a registered dietitian, or a fitness specialist to set goals for physical activity and to help you monitor your progress.
- An effective program will encourage you to reinforce your own good behavior and give yourself rewards that don't involve chocolate! You will also learn to give yourself positive messages.
- When we learn what our barriers to healthy eating and more physical activity are, we can structure problem-solving strategies to maintain our new, healthier habits. Think about why you are likely to backslide and how you can eliminate those barriers.
- Work hard to prevent a relapse into sedentary and unhealthy eating behaviors. Some experts say that it takes about six weeks for a new behavior to become a habit. You can do anything for six weeks, right? And after that, it will practically be automatic!
Adapted from: "Recommendations to Increase Physical Activity in Communities" American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2002;22(4s), by the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. Used with permission.