What drives intentions to engage in brain health-related behaviors? The role of behavioral beliefs.
1
1 Brain Care Labs, Mass General Brigham, Boston, United States
2
2 Department of Neurology, Mass General Brigham, Boston, United States
3
3 Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, United States
4
4 Center for Genomic Medicine, Mass General Brigham, Boston, United States
5
5 Annenberg School for Communication, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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6 Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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7 Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A1503
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Approximately 80% of stroke cases and 45% of dementia cases are preventable through modification of risk factors (1,2), yet achieving and sustaining behavior change remains challenging (3). We aimed to identify which behavioral beliefs are most strongly associated with intentions to engage in brain health-related behaviors.
METHODS:
We conducted a survey in a U.S. population-representative sample recruited via Prolific, an online platform for paid study participation (prolific.co). Seventeen health-related behaviors (e.g., medication adherence, diet, physical activity) were assessed using a validated instrument capturing modifiable risk factors for stroke and dementia (4). For each behavior, participants rated future intention to engage in that behavior and seven behavioral beliefs—capability, difficulty, social norms, social approval, positive personal impact, negative personal impact, and perceived impact on brain health—on 7-point Likert scales. We assessed future intentions to engage in each health-related behavior, and examined associations between z-standardized beliefs and intentions to engage using linear mixed-effects regression models adjusted for current behavior.
RESULTS:
A total of 370 participants completed the survey (mean age 47.6 years; 49.7% female). Participants reported higher intended future engagement for all behaviors. The strongest predictor of intention was perceived positive personal impact (β per SD: 0.25 [95% CI: 0.22, 0.28]; p<0.001), followed by brain-health impact (0.20 [0.17, 0.24]; p<0.001), capability (0.17 [0.14, 0.20], p<0.001), social approval (0.16 [0.13, 0.19], p<0.001), and social norms (0.07 [0.04, 0.10], p<0.001). Negative personal impact was inversely associated with intention (-0.09 [-0.12, -0.05], p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Across brain health-related behaviors, perceived positive personal impact, brain impact, and capability emerged as the strongest drivers of behavioral intentions. These findings suggest that behavioral interventions prioritizing personally meaningful benefits and capability enhancement may represent effective strategies for modifiable risk factor control for stroke and dementia prevention.
Approximately 80% of stroke cases and 45% of dementia cases are preventable through modification of risk factors (1,2), yet achieving and sustaining behavior change remains challenging (3). We aimed to identify which behavioral beliefs are most strongly associated with intentions to engage in brain health-related behaviors.
METHODS:
We conducted a survey in a U.S. population-representative sample recruited via Prolific, an online platform for paid study participation (prolific.co). Seventeen health-related behaviors (e.g., medication adherence, diet, physical activity) were assessed using a validated instrument capturing modifiable risk factors for stroke and dementia (4). For each behavior, participants rated future intention to engage in that behavior and seven behavioral beliefs—capability, difficulty, social norms, social approval, positive personal impact, negative personal impact, and perceived impact on brain health—on 7-point Likert scales. We assessed future intentions to engage in each health-related behavior, and examined associations between z-standardized beliefs and intentions to engage using linear mixed-effects regression models adjusted for current behavior.
RESULTS:
A total of 370 participants completed the survey (mean age 47.6 years; 49.7% female). Participants reported higher intended future engagement for all behaviors. The strongest predictor of intention was perceived positive personal impact (β per SD: 0.25 [95% CI: 0.22, 0.28]; p<0.001), followed by brain-health impact (0.20 [0.17, 0.24]; p<0.001), capability (0.17 [0.14, 0.20], p<0.001), social approval (0.16 [0.13, 0.19], p<0.001), and social norms (0.07 [0.04, 0.10], p<0.001). Negative personal impact was inversely associated with intention (-0.09 [-0.12, -0.05], p<0.001).
CONCLUSIONS:
Across brain health-related behaviors, perceived positive personal impact, brain impact, and capability emerged as the strongest drivers of behavioral intentions. These findings suggest that behavioral interventions prioritizing personally meaningful benefits and capability enhancement may represent effective strategies for modifiable risk factor control for stroke and dementia prevention.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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