Table 2 Worked examples of AACTT-specified behaviours across study designs
From: Action, actor, context, target, time (AACTT): a framework for specifying behaviour
Study design | Interviews (qualitative) [55] | Questionnaire (quantitative) [34] | Intervention development [56] | Cluster randomised trial [57] | Fidelity assessment (process evaluation) [58] | Mechanism of change (process evaluation) [59] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Action | Managing back pain without X-ray | Prescribing additional antihypertensive drugs | Provision of sexual counselling group sessions | Examining feet yourself and/or referring for foot exam | Providing behavioural support for smoking cessation (detailed by component behaviour change techniques) | Advising patient to make an appointment for retinal screening within the next 12 months |
Actor | Chiropractors | General practitioners | Cardiac rehabilitation healthcare staff | General practitioner and nurse | Trained specialist stop smoking advisor | Family doctors |
Context | Private clinics (Canada, USA with an HMO) | Practice clinic | Hospitals in the Republic of Ireland | Practice clinic | English stop-smoking service clinic in East London and North England | Examination room in family practice |
Target | Patient with acute low back pain | Patients with type 2 diabetes whose blood pressure (BP) is 5 mmHg above a target of 140 mmHg systolic BP or 80 mmHg diastolic BP even following previous management | Patients aged 18+ with cardiovascular disease | Patients with type 2 diabetes | Smokers trying to quit | Specific patient scenario: 57-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes on metformin 500 mg, non-smoker, no other medication, A1C < 7%, BMI 25, BP 125/75, normal foot exam, attended retinal screening over 12 months ago |
Time | During patient visit | Over the next 12 months | During Phase III cardiac rehabilitation | In the last 12 months | Over four weekly sessions | During annual diabetes checkup |