Enhancing Behavior Change Technique Coding Methods: Identifying Behavioral Targets and Delivery Styles in Smoking Cessation Trials

Nicola Black; A Jess Williams; Neza Javornik; Claire Scott; Marie Johnston; Maarten C Eisma; Susan Michie; Jamie Hartmann-Boyce; Robert West; Wolfgang Viechtbauer; Marijn de Bruin

doi:10.1093/abm/kay068

Enhancing Behavior Change Technique Coding Methods: Identifying Behavioral Targets and Delivery Styles in Smoking Cessation Trials

Ann Behav Med. 2019 May 3;53(6):583-591. doi: 10.1093/abm/kay068.

Authors

Nicola Black¹, A Jess Williams^{1

2}, Neza Javornik¹, Claire Scott^{1

3}, Marie Johnston¹, Maarten C Eisma^{1

4}, Susan Michie⁵, Jamie Hartmann-Boyce⁶, Robert West⁷, Wolfgang Viechtbauer⁸, Marijn de Bruin¹

Affiliations

¹ Health Psychology Group, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Health Sciences Building, Foresterhill Campus, Aberdeen, UK.
² Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
³ Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme, NHS Education for Scotland, Dundee Dental Education Centre, Dundee, UK.
⁴ Department of Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
⁵ Centre for Behaviour Change, University College London, London, UK.
⁶ Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
⁷ Health Behaviour Research Centre, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, UK.
⁸ Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Background: The behavior change technique (BCT) taxonomy v1 is often used in systematic reviews for identifying active components of interventions. Its utility could be enhanced by linking BCTs to specific target behaviors and qualifying BCT delivery style.

Purpose: To determine whether behavioral targets and delivery styles of BCTs can be coded reliably and to determine the utility of coding these characteristics.

Methods: As part of a large systematic review of 142 smoking cessation trials, two researchers independently coded publicly and privately held intervention and comparator group materials, specifying the behavioral target (quitting, abstinence, medication adherence, or treatment engagement) and delivery style (tailored vs. not tailored; active participation vs. passive receipt) of each BCT.

Results: Researchers coded 3,843 BCTs, which were reliably attributed to behavioral targets (AC1 = 0.92, PABAK = 0.91). Tailoring (AC1 = 0.80, PABAK = 0.74) and participation (AC1 = 0.71, PABAK = 0.64) were also coded reliably. There was considerable variability between groups in quitting and abstinence BCTs (ranges: 0-41; 0-18) and in tailoring and participation (ranges: 0-20; 0-32), but less variability for medication adherence and treatment engagement (ranges: 0-6; 0-7).

Conclusions: Behavioral targets and delivery styles of BCTs can be reliably identified and occur with sufficient frequency in smoking cessation trials for inclusion in quantitative syntheses (e.g., meta-regression analyses). Systematic reviewers could consider adopting these methods to evaluate the impact of intervention components targeting different behaviors, as well as the benefits of different BCT delivery styles.

Keywords: Behavior change technique; Delivery style; Reliability; Smoking cessation; Systematic review; Tailoring.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Behavior Therapy*
Humans
Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care*
Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic*
Smoking Cessation*
Systematic Reviews as Topic*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding