Table 4.
Links agreed to be present in reconciliation study (i.e., 80% or more of experts agreed there is a link)
| Literature synthesis study | Expert consensus study | Reconciliation study | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Behavior change technique | Mechanism of action | Frequency (number of papers) | p+ value | % Experts (yes) | % Experts (possibly) | % Experts (don’t know) | % Experts (no) | % Experts (yes) | % Experts (don’t know) | % Experts (no) |
| 8.2 Behavior substitution | Behavioral regulation | 5 | 0.016 | 79 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 5.1 Information about health consequences | Attitude toward the behavior | 19 | <0.001 | 68 | 21 | 0 | 11 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 5.3 Information about social and environmental consequences | Attitude toward the behavior | 16 | <0.001 | 76 | 5 | 9.5 | 9.5 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 5.3 Information about social and environmental consequences | Knowledge | 13 | 0.002 | 67 | 24 | 0 | 9 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 2.3 Self-monitoring of behavior | Behavioral regulation | 18 | <0.001 | 70 | 15 | 0 | 15 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 9.1 Credible source | General attitudes/beliefs | 2 | 0.007 | 68 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 15.4 Self-talk | Beliefs about capabilities | 8 | 0.054 | 42 | 47 | 0 | 11 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 15.3 Focus on past success | Beliefs about capabilities | 23 | <0.001 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 1.2 Problem solving | Behavioral regulation | 13 | 0.13 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 1.6 Discrepancy between current behavior and goal | Feedback processes | 1 | 0.08 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 10.8 incentive (Outcome) | Motivation | N/A | N/A | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 1.1 Goal setting (behavior) | Intention | 17 | 0.33 | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 1.1 Goal setting (behavior) | Goals | 4 | 0.23 | 95 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 5.1 Information about health consequences | Intention | 28 | 0.004 | 63 | 26 | 0 | 11 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 2.2 Feedback on behavior | Feedback processes | 3 | 0.07 | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 7.1 Prompts/cues | Memory, attention, and decision processes | 8 | <0.001 | 76 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 11.3 Conserving mental resources | Memory, attention, and decision processes | 1 | 0.07 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 10.1 Material incentive (behavior) | Reinforcement | 0 | 1 | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 10.4 Social reward | Social influences | 2 | 0.56 | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 11.2 Reduce negative emotions | Emotion | 1 | 0.21 | 95 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 12.3 Avoidance/reducing exposure to cues | Environmental context and resources | 1 | 0.22 | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 12.3 Avoidance/reducing exposure to cues | Behavioral cueing | 0 | 1 | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 12.5 Adding objects to the environment | Behavioral cueing | 2 | 0.12 | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 14.10 Remove punishment | Reinforcement | N/A | N/A | 95 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 1.5 Review behavior goals | Goals | 2 | 0.064 | 90 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 6.2 Social comparison | Norms | 0 | 1 | 90 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 6.2 Social comparison | Feedback processes | 2 | 0.21 | 90 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 11.2 Reduce negative emotions | Behavioral regulation | 0 | 1 | 90 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 7.5 Remove aversive stimulus | Environmental context and resources | N/A | N/A | 90 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 10.8 Incentive (outcome) | Reinforcement | N/A | N/A | 90 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 10.10 Reward (outcome) | Reinforcement | N/A | N/A | 90 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 10.10 Reward (outcome) | Motivation | N/A | N/A | 90 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 6.3 Information about others’ approval | Norms | 0 | 1 | 90 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 10.2 Material reward (behavior) | Reinforcement | 0 | 1 | 90 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 4.2 Information about antecedents | Knowledge | 3 | 0.051 | 86 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 4.1 Instruction on how to perform the behavior | Knowledge | 17 | 0.013 | 74 | 18 | 1 | 7 | 81.25 | 0 | |
| 5.2 Salience of consequences | Beliefs about consequences | 2 | 0.43 | 85 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 6.3 Information about others’ approval | Social influences | 4 | 0.20 | 84 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 8.7 Graded tasks | Skills | 4 | 0.45 | 81 | 14 | 0 | 5 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 2.3 Self-monitoring of behavior | Feedback processes | 2 | 0.17 | 80 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 2.6 Biofeedback | Knowledge | 0 | 1 | 79 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 81.25 | 12.5 | 6.25 |
| 6.1 Demonstration of the behavior | Beliefs about capabilities | 60 | 0.003 | 58 | 37 | 5 | 0 | 87.5 | 0 | |
| 4.1 Instruction on how to perform the behavior | Beliefs about capabilities | 62 | 0.08 | 79 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 9.1 Credible source | Attitude toward the behavior | 7 | 0.09 | 79 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 10.1 Material incentive (behavior) | Beliefs about consequences | 0 | 1 | 79 | 10.5 | 0 | 10.5 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 10.6 Nonspecific incentive | Reinforcement | N/A | N/A | 79 | 5 | 0 | 16 | 93.75 | 6.25 | 0 |
| 15.4 Self-talk | Motivation | 2 | 0.1 | 79 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 1.3 Goal setting (outcome) | Motivation | 3 | 0.09 | 76 | 19 | 0 | 5 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 4.2 Information about antecedents | Behavioral regulation | 2 | 0.22 | 76 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 9.2 Pros and cons | General attitudes and beliefs | 0 | 1 | 76 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
| 11.3 Conserving mental resources | Behavioral regulation | 1 | 0.15 | 76 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 1.4 Action planning | Behavioral cueing | 4 | 0.09 | 74 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 5.2 Salience of consequences | Perceived susceptibility/vulnerability | 1 | 0.16 | 70 | 25 | 0 | 5 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 2.2 Feedback on behavior | Motivation | 8 | 0.09 | 68 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 81.25 | 18.75 | 0 |
| 5.5 Anticipated regret | Beliefs about consequences | 2 | 0.06 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 87.5 | 12.5 | 0 |
Cells display N/A for the literature synthesis where the BCT was not coded in any of the 277 interventions. Cells display N/A for the expert consensus where the BCT was not considered by experts.