What effect do goal setting interventions have on physical activity and psychological outcomes in insufficiently active adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Garstang, KR, Jackman, PC, Healy, LC ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1372-7308, Cooper, SB ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5219-5020 and Magistro, D ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2554-3701, 2024. What effect do goal setting interventions have on physical activity and psychological outcomes in insufficiently active adults? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. ISSN 1543-3080

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Abstract

Background: Goal setting is commonly used for promoting physical activity (PA) among insufficiently active individuals. Previous reviews have analysed the effects of goal setting on PA, but the purpose of this systematic review was to examine the concurrent effects of goal setting on PA and psychological outcomes in insufficiently active individuals to support interventions aiming to produce sustained PA behaviour change.

Methods: In this review (PROSPERO: CRD42021243970), we identified 13 studies with 1208 insufficiently active adults that reported the effects of goal-setting interventions (range 3-24 weeks) on both PA and psychological outcomes (e.g., self-efficacy, motivation, affect). We used meta-analysis and narrative synthesis to analyse these effects.

Results: All goals used in the included studies were specific goals. Setting specific goals had a large, positive effect on PA (g [SMD] = 1.11 [p < .001], 95% CI 0.74-1.47), but only a small, positive effect on the combined psychological outcomes (g [SMD] = 0.25 [p < .001], 95% CI 0.10-0.40). Moderator analyses revealed that interventions that did not reward participants had a significantly greater effect on PA than interventions that did provide rewards (g = 1.30 vs. 0.60 respectively, p ≤ 003). No other significant moderators were found.

Conclusion: Our review offers initial insight into the long-term effects of specific goals on PA and psychological outcomes in insufficiently active adults. Further research that examines the PA and psychological effects of goal-setting interventions and investigates a wider range of goal types could develop a stronger evidence base to inform intervention for insufficiently active individuals.

Item Type:	Journal article
Publication Title:	Journal of Physical Activity and Health
Creators:	Garstang, K.R., Jackman, P.C., Healy, L.C., Cooper, S.B. and Magistro, D.
Publisher:	Human Kinetics
Date:	1 April 2024
ISSN:	1543-3080
Identifiers:	Number Type 10.1123/jpah.2023-0340 DOI 1873979 Other
Rights:	Accepted author manuscript version reprinted, by permission, from Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1123/jpah.2023-0340. © Human Kinetics, Inc.
Divisions:	Schools > School of Science and Technology
Record created by:	Laura Ward
Date Added:	18 Mar 2024 09:57
Last Modified:	10 Apr 2024 13:29
URI:	https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/51099

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