Table 1 Content and behaviour change techniques (BCT) of the Step It Up very brief intervention

Content of the face-to-face discussion

BCTs^a included in the face-to-face discussion

Practitioner

Target behaviour: physical activity

 • Gives verbal feedback on current PA and informs the participant of whether they are meeting the PA recommendations

 1.1 Goal setting (behaviour)

 • Asks the participant if they are aware of the Chief Medical Officer’s PA recommendations and informs them that the recommendations are for a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on 5 or more days of the week, and emphasises that moderate PA is any activity that raises heart rate, breathing or sweating and includes the activities of daily living

 1.4 Action Planning

 • Explains the 10,000 steps per day recommendation

 2.2 Feedback on behaviour

 • Shows the participant how to use the pedometer, and encourages them to use it to monitor daily steps

 2.3 Self-monitoring of behaviour

 • Shows the participant the Step Chart and encourages them to use it to set a daily step goal (starting with a smaller goal) and record daily steps

 8.7 Graded tasks

 • Explains that the Step It Up Booklet contains information about the health, social, environmental and emotional benefits of PA; tips for how to increase daily steps by making small changes; and information about other helpful resources.

 12.5 Adding objects to the environment

Target behaviour: Self-monitoring

 4.1 Instruction on how to perform the behaviour

Content of participant materials

BCTs^a included in the participant materials

Step It Up Booklet containing

Target behaviour: physical activity

 • Written feedback on current PA.

 1.1 Goal setting (behaviour)

 • Information on PA recommendations (30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on 5 or more days a week; 10,000 steps per day).

 1.4 Action Planning

 • Instructions on how to use the pedometer and how to self-monitor daily steps.

 2.2 Feedback on behaviour

 • Information about the health, social, environmental and emotional benefits of PA.

 2.3 Self-monitoring of behaviour

 • Advice about setting a smaller step goal at first and gradually increasing the goal over time.

 5.1 Information about health consequences

 • Tips for how to increase daily steps by making small changes.

 5.3 Information about social and environmental consequences

 • Information about other helpful online resources (e.g. where to download a pedometer app, a website to find a local walking group).

 5.6 Information about emotional consequences

Step Chart

 8.7 Graded tasks

 • Chart for setting step goals and monitoring daily steps.

Target behaviour: Self-monitoring

Pedometer

 • A Yamax Digiwalker SW200.

 4.1 Instruction on how to perform the behaviour