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Ecological Momentary Assessment of the Relationship between Intention and Physical Activity Behavior in Bariatric Surgery Patients

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Abstract

Background

Performing habitual physical activity (PA) is challenging for many bariatric surgery patients.

Purpose

We used electronic ecological momentary assessment to naturalistically examine whether insufficient PA among bariatric surgery patients was due to infrequent PA intentions or inadequate follow through on PA intentions.

Method

Twenty-one patients 6-months post-bariatric surgery were recruited from multiple clinics in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Participants used a palmtop computer upon waking for 6 days to indicate whether they intended to be active, and if so, the amount of PA they intended to perform in bouts ≥10 min. Each evening, participants reported PA minutes and barriers encountered that day.

Results

All 21 participants reported intending to be active on at least 1 day but only 9 (42%) intended to be active on ≥70% of days. Twelve (57%) participants performed PA on each of the days they intended, but none achieved the amount of PA they intended on all of these days. Overall, participants had PA intentions on 81 of 123 days (66%); these were partially implemented (≥10 PA minutes) on 49 days, but fully implemented on only 15 days. Participants spent 34 min in PA, or 20 fewer minutes than intended. “Lack of time” was the only frequently cited barrier, particularly on days that PA was neither intended nor performed.

Conclusion

Few patients intended to be active on a near daily basis and all patients had difficulty in implementing their intentions. Interventions that target planning strategies may help facilitate PA intentions and limit discrepancy between intended and actual PA.

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Acknowledgments

Appreciation is expressed to Jennifer Trautvetter, B.A. for assisting with participant recruitment. Dr. Bond is supported by the National Institutes of Health grant K01 DK083438, Increasing physical activity among inactive bariatric surgery patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, The Miriam Hospital/Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, 196 Richmond Street, Providence, RI, USA, 02903

    Dale S. Bond, J. Graham Thomas & Rena R. Wing

  2. Department of Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Beth A. Ryder

  3. Department of Surgery, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, The Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Sivamainthan Vithiananthan

  4. Department of Surgery, Roger Williams Hospital, Providence, RI, USA

    Dieter Pohl

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  1. Dale S. Bond
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  2. J. Graham Thomas
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  3. Beth A. Ryder
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  4. Sivamainthan Vithiananthan
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  5. Dieter Pohl
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  6. Rena R. Wing
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Correspondence to Dale S. Bond.

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Bond, D.S., Thomas, J.G., Ryder, B.A. et al. Ecological Momentary Assessment of the Relationship between Intention and Physical Activity Behavior in Bariatric Surgery Patients. Int.J. Behav. Med. 20, 82–87 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-011-9214-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-011-9214-1

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