Social cognitions and smoking behaviour: Temporal resolution matters

Objectives: Health behaviour theories outline how cognitions predict behaviours, butrarely specify the temporal relation between cognitions and behaviours. It is not knownwhether these predictive relationships vary depending on temporal resolution orwhether the relative influence of cognitions varies with measurement schedules.Thecurrent exploratory study therefore investigates whether the associations betweenbehavioural cognitions (self-efficacy, intention, and risk perception) and smoking varywhen measured momentarily, at day level, or using the more common baseline–follow-updesign.Design: study involving 36 continuing smokers over 17 days. Participants loggedcigarettes and reported their cognitions at baseline, daily (evening), and in response tomomentary surveys.Methods: Random-effects models were used to compare the effects of cognitionsmeasured at different time points on (1) the number of cigarettes smoked daily and (2) thetime interval until the next cigarette smoked.Results: Self-efficacy and risk perception measured at baseline significantly predictedcigarettes smoked each day, but this effect became non-significant when dailymeasurements of cognitions were included in the model. Momentary smoking behaviourwas predicted by momentary measurements of risk perception, with no significant effectsof social cognitions at baseline.Conclusions: Relationships between cognitions and behaviours vary according to thetemporal resolution of the measurement schedule. Ensuring that the temporal resolutionof assessment is appropriate for the temporal dynamics of the behaviour being assessed isimportant. Future research is needed to investigate the potential for leveraging specificcognitive processes depending on temporal importance in order to increase healthpromoting behaviours