Water drinking is a complex health behaviour: implications for theory and intervention development

Rodger, Amy (2024) Water drinking is a complex health behaviour: implications for theory and intervention development. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Across four projects, I aimed to develop an in-depth understanding of how water drinking behaviour is performed in real-life settings and what influences its performance to inform more effective interventions. Specifically, I aimed to define what steps are involved in water drinking and identify and explain how relevant constructs hinder and facilitate water drinking in daily life. In Project 1, I conducted a mixed-method survey study to assess what influences different water intake patterns (i.e., high versus low intake), focusing on constructs like value, reward, self-identity, and habitualness. I quantitatively (N = 400) established differences in participants' water drinking behaviour and qualitatively assessed what influences might explain these differences (N = 101). In Project 2, I conducted a mixed-method intervention study to assess what influences attempts at increasing water intake (N = 95). I quantitatively assessed the impact of implementation intentions on water intake over a five-day follow-up and qualitatively assessed what hindered and facilitated participants' attempts to increase water intake during this time. In Project 3, I conducted an observational quantitative study to establish the association and predictive ability of various influences of water drinking (e.g., taste) regarding future intake over a three-day follow-up (N = 213). In Project 4, I reviewed emerging water drinking research and generated a theoretical overview of how water drinking should be defined and what influences its performance in daily life. I then assessed the implications of this overview regarding the wider theoretical considerations in behavioural research as well as applied implications, limitations, and future directions for water drinking research. Water drinking is a complex behaviour facilitated by numerous lower-order behaviours (e.g., preparation) that must be repeated multiple times throughout the day to obtain adequate water intake. Additionally, underlying this behaviour is a complex interplay of external (e.g., water availability, toilet access) and internal (e.g., reward, habitualness) influences that can hinder or facilitate water intake depending on their nature and emergence throughout daily life. Comprehensive theories of behaviour should be used to guide water drinking research, and intervention development may benefit from a complex intervention approach.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology; R Medicine > RC Internal medicine > RC0321 Neuroscience. Biological psychiatry. Neuropsychiatry
• Colleges/Schools: College of Science and Engineering > School of Psychology
• Supervisor's Name: Papies, Dr. Esther and Barsalou, Professor Lawrence
• Date of Award: 2024
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2024-84109
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 01 Mar 2024 11:22
• Last Modified: 01 Mar 2024 11:58
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.84109
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/84109

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