Maintenance of Health Behavior Change: Challenges, Implications, and Future Directions

Chair(s)

• 

  Jaime Hughes, PhD, MPH, MSW (she/her/hers)

  Assistant Professor
  Implementation Science
  Wake Forest School of Medicine
  Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

• RA

  Rahma Ajja, PhD, MPH, MPT (she/her/hers)

  Research Fellow
  Implementation Science
  Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
  Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
• 

  Barb Nicklas, PhD (she/her/hers)

  Professor
  Internal Medicine: Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine
  Wake Forest School of Medicine
  Winston Salem, North Carolina, United States
• 

  Denise Houston, PhD, RDN (she/her/hers)

  Professor
  Internal Medicine - Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine
  Wake Forest University School of Medicine
  Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

  Slides
• 

  Jaime Hughes, PhD, MPH, MSW (she/her/hers)

  Assistant Professor
  Implementation Science
  Wake Forest School of Medicine
  Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

Health behavior change is critical for healthy aging. Evidence-based programs are available to support a variety of health behavior changes in older adults, including programs for activity, diet, sleep, and medication adherence. Health behavior change programs are typically guided by one or more theoretical models or frameworks describing common constructs related to behavior change. Examples of such constructs include intention, motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulation. To date, much focus has been on how such constructs relate to initiating and/or achieving behavior change. Although some models specify anticipated outcomes of behavior change over time, maintenance remains largely overlooked. This symposium presents a series of presentations exploring concepts and challenges related to maintenance of health behaviors in older adults. Together, these presentations will explore the definitions and characteristics of maintenance as described in the scientific literature, review maintenance-related trends within physical activity interventions, and discuss findings from stakeholder-engaged sessions designed to identify gaps within the theoretical and scientific literature describing maintenance. The session will conclude with recommendations for future research.

This is a Health Behavior Change Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

Presentations:

• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET

  Defining and Characterizing Maintenance: Results From a Literature Review
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Rahma Ajja, PhD, MPH, MPT (she/her/hers) – Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Winston-Salem, North Carolina
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET

  Maintaining Walking Through Walk On!: A Community-Based Walking Program for Older Adults
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Barb J. Nicklas, PhD (she/her/hers) – Wake Forest School of Medicine
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET

  Physical Activity and Weight Loss Maintenance in Older Adults: Long-Term Follow-Up Data From Five Randomized Trials
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Denise K. Houston, PhD, RDN (she/her/hers) – Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET

  Maintenance of Health Behavior Change: Recommendations for Future Research
  

  Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jaime M. Hughes, PhD, MPH, MSW (she/her/hers) – Wake Forest School of Medicine