Benjamin Gardner

Objective: Sedentary behavior is commonly studied based on the value of the higher-order task being performed, such as watching TV, using a phone, or playing video games. However, it is possible that the low physical effort associated with these behaviors also contributes to their appeal. That is, individuals may be drawn not just to the task but to the low effort it is paired with. This study aims to test this possibility by manipulating body position (sitting vs. standing) while participants engage in a familiar sedentary task (i.e., playing Tetris). Methods: To test this hypothesis, we manipulated body position during a smartphone video game task to examine how sitting versus standing affected the rewarding value assigned to the game. Results: Our results (two independent studies, N = 228 and N = 129) show that the rewarding value of this sedentary behavior also stems from the low effort cost associated with sitting. Conclusions: These findings suggest that the perception of effort may contribute to influencing sedentary preferences and provide valuable insights for interventions aimed at reducing excessive sedentary behavior, such as targeted strategies to increase the valuation of physical effort.

Since 2011, the EHPS has supported several Special Interest Groups (SIGs). SIGs are networks designed to connect EHPS members who have shared interests, facilitate knowledge exchange, and establish collaborations outside of the annual conference. Fifteen years on, seven SIGs exist within the Society, supporting networks of members including those with interests in methodological approaches, social justice and representation, theory and application. In this paper, we draw on our experiences of five years of running the EHPS ‘Habit’ SIG to illustrate some of the benefits that SIGs confer on their members, and the broader health psychology community. We provide examples of how the Habit SIG has allowed its members to steer the course of habit research in health psychology, created a forum for generating and debating new ideas, and strengthened collaborations and community while also supporting career development among early career researchers. We present the Habit SIG as a blueprint for how specialisms within the EHPS can flourish through the establishment and maintenance of SIGs.

Water scarcity is increasing globally, creating a need for behavioural approaches to reduce domestic water demand. Reducing toilet-flushing after urination presents an opportunity to achieve substantial household water savings, but there is currently limited understanding about the acceptability of interventions designed to support this behaviour. This study examined public responses to a trial of commercially available, dissolvable toilet pellets that are designed to turn toilet water blue, so masking the sight and smell of unflushed urine and thereby facilitating reduced flushing. Twenty participants, recruited from southeast England, were given a free pack of 70 pellets to trial, and one week later completed semi-structured interviews regarding the acceptability of the pellets. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Five themes were constructed relating to: practical facilitators and barriers to use, perceived aesthetic and sensory effectiveness of the pellets, social concerns around non-flushing behaviour, environmental motivations for water conservation and flushing as a socially grounded practice. Participants generally viewed the pellets as acceptable and easy to integrate into existing routines. However, acceptability was constrained by cleanliness norms, concerns about social judgement and discomfort with persistent disgust-related cues indicating toilet use. Although our participants appeared particularly environmentally conscious, our findings suggest that toilet pellets offer a potentially acceptable and promising opportunity to support water efficiency initiatives in the UK.

Showering is a high-priority target for household water efficiency. Designing effective interventions requires understanding showering. Previous research has focused on showering frequency and total duration, but not addressed consistency, which can reveal the habitual nature of showering. If people shower at consistent times, this suggests that showering events are habitually initiated, and consistent durations suggest that showering is habitually performed, and different behaviour change techniques are needed to disrupt habits than to change deliberated actions. This study analysed 15,728 shower events, recorded on 110 shower smart-sensor devices over 9 months in two student accommodation sites with en-suite bathrooms, with each device assumed to capture one individual. Most participants (67%) had two or more recurring shower onset time patterns, indicating that, while participants did not consistently shower for the same number of times each day, when they did shower, onset time was organized around distinct, idiosyncratic stable routines rather than one set time. Water use duration (mean 525sec) showed moderate within-person correlation, suggesting participants were generally consistent in how long they spent showering. While some flexibility was observed around how often people showered, our findings are the first to indicate that both the initiation and execution of showering are driven by habit, clustering around one or more individual daily routines. Interventions that deliver in-the-moment support aligned with recurring routines may be most effective for promoting water-efficient showering.

University students often exhibit high levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) and low levels of physical activity (PA). Previous efforts to increase students’ movement have focused on leisure-time PA or overlooked the university environment and the education system. Embedding PA into university education offers one potentially fruitful avenue for increasing student movement, yet understanding is needed of how and why the university education system influences students’ movement before effective interventions can be developed. This study used a novel behavioural systems mapping method to explore the perceived behaviours, actors, and influences affecting students’ PA and SB during university education. The aim of this exploratory study was to develop a preliminary behavioural systems map based on a combined dataset of interviews with 20 university students and 38 staff in a variety of roles. Data were qualitatively analysed to construct a map of the perceived actors, behaviours, and influences affecting students’ movement behaviours, as well as perceived causal links between them. Influences were further analysed using the capability, opportunity, and motivation model of behaviour (COM-B). The resulting map would need further data input and corroboration to be considered a comprehensive map, yet the results presented in this study provide a useful starting point in this regard. The final map had over 100 elements and connections in total, with 31 different behaviours performed by various actors identified, demonstrating the system complexity as described by participants. Three clusters of behaviours and influences were identified: student movement in classes, student movement in private study time, and wider system influences and behaviours. Across all clusters, a key behaviour perceived as influential by participants was policy makers prioritising student movement in decision making, suggesting policy-level change is essential for long-term impact. Many identified barriers were related to physical or social opportunities, suggesting environmental restructuring may be key to embedding PA into university education. Many reflective motivation influences that may need addressing in future intervention research were also identified, such as believing that PA is worthwhile to implement. Overall, while policy-level change is needed to catalyse some of the environmental changes needed, this study suggests opportunities may exist to support students to increase movement during private study time, where fewest barriers were identified.

University students often exhibit high levels of sedentary behaviour (SB) and low levels of physical activity (PA). Previous efforts to increase students’ movement have focused on leisure-time PA or overlooked the university environment and the education system. Embedding PA into university education offers one potentially fruitful avenue for increasing student movement, yet understanding is needed of how and why the university education system influences students’ movement before effective interventions can be developed. This study used a novel behavioural systems mapping method to explore the perceived behaviours, actors, and influences affecting students’ PA and SB during university education. The aim of this exploratory study was to develop a preliminary behavioural systems map based on a combined dataset of interviews with 20 university students and 38 staff in a variety of roles. Data were qualitatively analysed to construct a map of the perceived actors, behaviours, and influences affecting students’ movement behaviours, as well as perceived causal links between them. Influences were further analysed using the capability, opportunity, and motivation model of behaviour (COM-B). The resulting map would need further data input and corroboration to be considered a comprehensive map, yet the results presented in this study provide a useful starting point in this regard. The final map had over 100 elements and connections in total, with 31 different behaviours performed by various actors identified, demonstrating the system complexity as described by participants. Three clusters of behaviours and influences were identified: student movement in classes, student movement in private study time, and wider system influences and behaviours. Across all clusters, a key behaviour perceived as influential by participants was policy makers prioritising student movement in decision making, suggesting policy-level change is essential for long-term impact. Many identified barriers were related to physical or social opportunities, suggesting environmental restructuring may be key to embedding PA into university education. Many reflective motivation influences that may need addressing in future intervention research were also identified, such as believing that PA is worthwhile to implement. Overall, while policy-level change is needed to catalyse some of the environmental changes needed, this study suggests opportunities may exist to support students to increase movement during private study time, where fewest barriers were identified.

Habitual behaviors are automatic responses to specific cues, acquired through repetition in stable contexts. While habits can support long-term behavior change, relatively little is known about which factors influence their development. We conducted a preregistered reanalysis of a six-month longitudinal study on habit formation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants (N = 254) completed monthly surveys assessing behavioral automaticity (i.e., habit) and ten potential determinants. Cluster analyses revealed two trajectories: habit formation and habit degradation, with cluster membership differing by behavioral complexity, frequency, and context stability. Multilevel models showed that six determinants were significantly associated with habit strength: autonomous motivation, behavior frequency, context stability, feeling energized, feeling pleased (positive), and perceived difficulty (negative). A significant interaction between time and behavior frequency emerged after correcting for multiple testing. Findings underscore the dynamic nature of habits and suggest that tailored interventions may be especially important during early formation and to prevent later degradation.

Physical activity can help people manage their epilepsy, yet young people with epilepsy are less active than their peers. Behaviour change interventions are needed. Behavioural science offers a range of theories, concepts and tools that increase the likelihood that such interventions will be effective. This scoping review assessed the extent to which physical activity behaviour change interventions for young people with epilepsy have been designed and evaluated using behavioural science tools. Systematic electronic database searches (last updated 3 December 2025) identified seven publications, reporting six distinct intervention trials. Intervention reports were coded to identify how behaviour change science had been drawn on. Interventions were also coded for evidence of effectiveness. None were identified as showing convergent evidence of effectiveness. For three interventions, there was limited evidence of effectiveness based on within-group increases in physical activity or quality of life, and for three, there was no evidence of effectiveness for physical activity or quality of life. Interventions using goal-setting, guidance on performance or information on health consequences were more commonly found in interventions showing some evidence of effectiveness than those showing no such evidence. Limited evidence was found of explicit behavioural science use in published reports of physical activity promotion interventions for young people with epilepsy. We recommend ways in which intervention developers can draw more on behavioural science theory, evidence and tools when developing, evaluating and reporting interventions, and therefore increase realisation of the benefits of physical activity interventions for this population.

Background: Iodine deficiency remains a significant public health issue, further highlighted by the concern of its re-emergence in multiple countries. The health burden of iodine deficiency is high, especially in those who are vulnerable to the effects of iodine deficiency, such as pregnant women, infants, and children. Studies have shown that the public has low awareness and misconceptions regarding iodine. Increasing the understanding of the importance of iodine and its sources are crucial steps in controlling iodine deficiency in populations. This proposed systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of education-based interventions and identify effective strategies that are associated with improved iodine knowledge, attitude, behaviour, and/or status, which could assist in improving iodine intake and combatting iodine deficiency. Methods: This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines. The electronic databases that will be used to search for relevant studies are PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and EMBASE, with no restriction on population and date. We will also explore Google Scholar to identify relevant studies. Two reviewers will perform the screening and data extraction, and disagreements will be solved by discussion or a third reviewer. We will synthesise the findings using meta-analyses where possible or otherwise via a narrative synthesis. Discussion: The findings of the review will help to inform and guide the development and implementation of education programmes and evidence-based health interventions aimed at preventing iodine deficiency, with potential applicability to wider public health strategies. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42025065136.