Global Health Promotion 1757-9759; Vol 20 Supp. 2: 83–87; 483336 Copyright © The Author(s) 2013, Reprints and permissions:
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Introduction
Fruit and vegetable intake (FVI) is associated with a
lower risk of cardiovascular disease (1). Despite this
evidence, only 20 to 43% of the French population
consumes more than five servings per day (2). Self-
efficacy defined as individuals’ beliefs in their
capability to exercise control over challenging
demands is considered one of the most consistent
factor explaining FVI (3). There is also evidence that
implementation intentions (II) is an effective
technique to translate intention into action (4).
Intention may not translate into action because the
person does not have a clear idea of what to do or is
not able to overcome the barriers. II resides in the
explicit formulation of if-then plans linking an event
(cue) to an action (e.g. ‘If situation X arises, then I
will do Y’).
The long-term effect of these techniques on FVI
and their effect in combination remains unclear.
Concerning II, although a systematic review (4)
reported that significant effects were observed after
intervention but not at follow-up (from 3–9
months), recent studies showed a long-term impact
on FVI (5,6). With respect to self-efficacy, a
significant increase in FVI from 0.2–4.6 servings
per day was observed at 12-month follow-up
among interventions based on the social cognitive
theory; best results were obtained from intensive
interventions (from 18–36 meetings) (7). Finally, it
is not known what would be the impact of
interventions targeting simultaneously II and self-
efficacy. Two studies have tested the effect of
combining II with the development of self-efficacy
on FVI and only one observed an effect at short-
term follow-up (8,9).
483336PED 20 Supp. 2 10.1177/1757975913483336Original ArticleGuillaumie et al.
2013
1. Centre de recherche FQR-S du Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de Québec, Canada. Correspondence to: Laurence
Guillaumie URESP, 1050 Chemin Ste-Foy, Quebec, QC G1S 4L8 Canada. Email: Laurence.guillaumie@uresp.ulaval.ca
2. Groupe de recherche sur les comportements et la santé, Université Laval, Canada.
3. Laboratoire de psychologie EA 3188, Université de Franche-Comté, Besançon, France.
4. Equipe de Psychologie de la Santé de Metz, Université Paul-Verlaine, Metz, France.
(This manuscript was submitted on 16 February 2012. Following blind peer review it was accepted for publication on 20
September 2012)
Self-efficacy and implementation intentions-based
interventions on fruit and vegetable intake among adults:
impact at 12-month follow-up
Laurence Guillaumie
1
, Gaston Godin
2
, Jean-Claude Manderscheid
3
,
Elisabeth Spitz
4
and Laurent Muller
4
Abstract: This study tested the effect of theory-based interventions designed to increase fruit and
vegetable intake (FVI). Adults (n = 291) were randomized into four groups: implementation intentions
(II) group; self-efficacy (SE) group; combination of implementation intentions and self-efficacy
(II+SE) group; and a control group receiving written information on nutrition. They were reassessed
at 1, 3, 6 and 12 month follow-up. This study found that short interventions such as SE and II+SE
can achieve significant differences in FVI at six-month follow-up compared to the control group.
However, this effect was not maintained at 12-month follow-up. Practitioners should add materials
or follow up meetings to ensure maintenance of behavioral change. (Global Health Promotion, 2013;
20 Supp. 2: 83–87).
Keywords: health behavior, health promotion, nutrition, noncommunicable disease, prevention
Original Article
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