Application of Behaviour Change Techniques in Promoting Physical Activity Among Adults with Chronic Conditions: An Umbrella Review

TL;DR

This umbrella review explores how behavior change techniques can help adults with chronic conditions become more physically active.

Contribution

The study identifies specific behavior change techniques most effective for promoting physical activity in different chronic conditions.

Findings

Four BCTs—goal setting, social support, instruction, and graded tasks—were consistently linked to increased physical activity.

Condition-specific BCT combinations showed effectiveness, such as graded tasks and social incentives for metabolic disorders.

The findings provide a strong evidence base for designing physical activity interventions for chronic disease management.

Abstract

This umbrella review examined the application of behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and their associations with physical activity (PA) outcomes in interventions targeting adults with chronic conditions. A comprehensive search of five databases was conducted up to 20 December 2024, identifying eighteen eligible systematic reviews (including nine meta-analyses), encompassing 468 primary studies and over 57,500 participants. BCTs were coded using the BCT Taxonomy v1, and review quality was assessed using AMSTAR 2. Across the included studies, eleven BCTs were most frequently employed, clustering into four core domains: self-regulation, instruction/information, social or contextual support, and modelling. Among these, four BCTs—goal setting (behaviour), social support (unspecified), instruction on how to perform the behaviour, and graded tasks—were consistently associated with significant increases in PA. Subgroup analysis revealed condition-specific patterns: graded tasks combined with social incentives were most effective for metabolic disorders, instructional techniques for cardiovascular disease, combined instruction and social support for musculoskeletal conditions, goal setting for mixed chronic conditions, and pairing action planning with graded tasks for cancer survivors. These findings advance both theoretical and practical understanding of components associated with successful PA interventions and provide a robust evidence base to inform future program design for chronic disease management.

Figures