The relationship between goal difficulty and performance in the context of a physical activity intervention program

ABSTRACT

This paper addresses the relationship between goal difficulty and performance within the context of an ongoing activity intervention program called New Wellness Solutions (NWS). The NWS program employs a mobile device to enable moment-to-moment monitoring and progress feedback. In order to assess the relationship between goal difficulty and physical performance, we analyzed the data of a recently completed NWS program test. We found a significant positive linear relationship between goal difficulty and performance for individuals with an inactive lifestyle. No significant relationship was found for individuals with an active lifestyle. This may be explained by the active participants' low level of commitment to the assigned goals. We conclude that sufficiently difficult goals combined with timely progress feedback are effective in increasing activity levels of inactive people. Future studies should address the effect of additional mobile persuasion techniques to further improve physical activity patterns of inactive individuals and to enhance goal commitment of active individuals.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  J. Computer Applications
  J.3 LIFE AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
      Subjects: Health

General Terms:
Experimentation, Human Factors, Measurement

Keywords:
behavioral change, goal setting, mobile persuasion, physical activity intervention, timely feedback