A VALUES-BASED APPROACH FOR CHANGING EXERCISE AND DIETARY HABITS: AN ACTION STUDY

This action study examined the effect of a 10-week intervention, based on the Disconnected Values Model (DVM), on promoting health behavior change-changes in fitness and blood lipids, in particular. The DVM predicts that health behavior change is more likely to occur if the individual detects a misalignment (i.e., disconnect) between one's values and his or her negative or unhealthy habits and that, given the short-term costs and long-term consequences of maintaining unhealthy habits, the disconnect is unacceptable. Participants were 111 females and 58 males (N = 169), ranging in age from 24 to 72 years (M = 48.05, SD = 10.46), who were full time faculty and staff employed at a university in the southeastern United States. Each individual registered for and participated in an employee campus wellness program. Program content included fitness testing, exercise prescription, weekly coaching from a personal trainer, and one private consultation and five group seminars from a registered dietician. Fitness and blood tests (i.e., a lipids profile), and an inventory measuring the person's values (intrinsic to the DVM), were conducted immediately prior to and following the program. Multivariate mixed model analyses indicated significantly improved scores from pre- to post-intervention on improved fitness and reduced disconnected values (ps < .05). While none of the blood lipid measures were statistically significant, changes from pre- to posttest measures were in a favorable direction, indicating improved scores. A relatively low dropout rate (11%), superior to that of most previous studies, lends credence to the program's efficacy. The mechanisms by which the DVM may influence health behavior change and the implications for future research to test the model are provided.