Health Behaviour

Physical inactivity increases substantially after age 60 and represents a major public health challenge in older adults, as it is linked to increased risk of functional and cognitive decline and aging problems. Walking is one of the most accessible and recommended forms of light-to-moderate physical activity for this population. However, promoting sustained engagement in walking remains difficult, as traditional informational approaches often fail to activate personally meaningful motivations. This study tests whether persuasive affective messages can promote walking by leveraging self-continuity, meaning the use of autobiographical memory to maintain the sense of being the same person across time and contexts, connecting the past, present, and future self. Self-continuity is associated with psychological resources such as self-esteem, self-efficacy, and a sense of meaning in life. The affective mechanism that sustains self-continuity is nostalgia: both promote emotional and behavioral regulation and support goal achievement. Building on this framework, the present trial examines whether activating feelings of self-continuity and positive nostalgic memories can strengthen older adults' motivation to engage in walking behavior. In addition, the study investigates whether combining self-continuity messaging with a self-regulation strategy (daily step monitoring) enhances intervention effectiveness. Self-monitoring is a well-established behavioral technique that supports goal pursuit by increasing awareness and feedback. Using a 4-arm randomised controlled factorial design, the study compares the effects of self-continuity messages, step-monitoring reminders, their combination, and an active control condition on walking behaviour and its psychological determinants. A national sample of 1,000 Italian adults aged 65-74, recruited through a certified panel provider (Ipsos) and balanced for age, gender, and geographic region, will be randomly assigned to one of the four conditions. All participants will receive one message per day through a mobile application over a 14-day period. Participants in the step-monitoring conditions will also be asked to track and report their daily step count using a pedometer application. Behavioral, psychological, and process measures will be collected at baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up. The study therefore aims to provide experimental evidence on the role of self-continuity as a motivational driver of health behaviour change, and to clarify whether combining affective and self-regulatory strategies enhances intervention effectiveness in older adults.

This is a mixed-methods study consisting of a qualitative assessment the acceptability of psychosocial interventions, delivered by clinical staff. The study will also investigate the correlation between demographic variables and engagement with a North West England, NHS-led, alcohol care service, amongst the patient population.

The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Health is a process in which individuals adapt to environmental changes, and this process is influenced by beliefs, experiences, and health behaviors. Health perception is a combination of an individual's thoughts about their own health and is a significant indicator of both physical and mental well-being. University students enter a new phase of life that can affect their health perceptions, during which they may experience health problems associated with factors such as stress, physical activity, and nutrition. International students, in particular, may encounter additional challenges during the cultural adaptation process and may engage in risky behaviors that affect their health behaviors.The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a framework used to understand and modify individuals' health behaviors. This study examines the effectiveness of an HBM-based educational intervention in evaluating international students' health perceptions and risky behaviors. While the literature supports the effectiveness of HBM-based education in reducing risky behaviors, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials conducted specifically with international students.This study, to be conducted with international students at Sakarya University, aims to improve students' health perceptions and reduce risky behaviors. The research is designed as a randomized controlled trial with pre-test/post-test, single-blind, experimental and control groups. It is expected that the HBM-based educational intervention delivered to the experimental group will enhance international university students' health perceptions and reduce their likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors.Data collection tools include the "Health Perception Scale" and the "Risky Behaviors Scale - University Form". Data obtained in the study will be analyzed using the SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) for Windows 22.0 software.