Behavioural Science & Health Research Group

• Professor Barbara Mullan (Director)
• Dr Chloe Maxwell-Smith (Deputy Director)
• Dr Hannah Velure Uren
• Dr Matty Phillips (Adjunct)
• Dr Jessica Charlesworth
• Mr Scott Devenport
• Dr Thomas McAlpine

• Alejandro Dominguez Garcia
• Asha Parkinson
• Ashleigh Pantaleo
• Astrid Green
• Denise Girdlestone
• Hayley Breare
• Indita Dorina
• Katlyn Mackenzie
• Merve Ozdogan
• Ned Marshall
• Scott Devenport

Forming strong habits can be a powerful tool to help us stay engaged in positive health behaviours such as physical activity, healthy eating, safe food handling, and good sleep, just to name a few. However, strong habits can also contribute to maintaining behaviours that have adverse long-term health outcomes (e.g., unhealthy snacking). Much of our research output is therefore dedicated to understanding the conditions in which habits are formed or broken and how best to apply habit-based strategies for the benefit of population health.

Key Outputs

• Allom, V., Mullan, B., Smith, E., Hay, P., & Raman, J. (2018). Breaking bad habits by improving executive function in individuals with obesity. BMC Public Health, 18(1), 505. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5392-y
• Dorina, I., Boyes, M. E., & Mullan, B. (2023). Associations between dimensions of self-regulation and health behaviour: Factor analysis and predictive study [Preprint]. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/v5fhc
• Dorina, I., Mullan, B., Boyes, M., & Liddelow, C. (2023). Utility of temporal self-regulation theory in health and social behaviours: A meta-analysis. British Journal of Health Psychology, 28(2), 397-438. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12631
• Phillips, L. A., & Mullan, B. A. (2023). Ramifications of behavioural complexity for habit conceptualisation, promotion, and measurement. Health Psychology Review, 17(3), 402-415. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2022.2060849
• Mullan, B., Henderson, J., Kothe, E., Allom, V., Orbell, S., & Hamilton, K. (2016). The Role of Habit and Perceived Control on Health Behavior among Pregnant Women. American Journal of Health Behavior, 40(3), 291-301. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.40.3.1
• Mullan, B., & Novoradovskaya, E. (2018). Habit Mechanisms and Behavioural Complexity. In B. Verplanken (Ed.), The Psychology of Habit: Theory, Mechanisms, Change, and Contexts (pp. 71-90). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97529-0_5
• Mullan, B., Allom, V., Fayn, K., & Johnston, I. (2014). Building habit strength: A pilot intervention designed to improve food-safety behavior. Food Research International, 66, 274-278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2014.09.027

Other facets of our work involve the application of theoretical models to understand the mechanisms of behaviour change and how they can be instrumental to achieving health benefits across a range of more specific topic areas including;

• Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
• Nutrition and Food Safety
• Physical Activity
• Snacking
• Sugary Drink Consumption
• Sleep Hygiene

Key Outputs

• Charlesworth, J., Rowland, O., & Mullan, B. (2023). Evaluating the effectiveness of two behaviour change techniques designed to improve safe food-handling among consumers. Nutrition & Food Science, 53(8), 1319-1331. https://doi.org/10.1108/NFS-01-2023-0013
• Charlesworth, J., Breare, H., Mullan, B. A., Tan, H., & Abbott, B. (2023). Examining the effectiveness of behaviour change techniques for improving safe egg handling behaviours: A randomised prospective experimental study. Food Control, 143, Article 109285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2022.109285
• Maxwell-Smith, C., Breare, H., Dominguez Garcia, A., Sim, T. F., Blackford, K., Chih, H. J., Jancey, J., & Mullan, B. A. (2023). Pharmacists’ perceptions and delivery of health behaviour change recommendations: Mapping the COM-B model. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.10.008
• McAlpine, T., Mullan, B., & Clarke, P. J. F. (2023). Re-considering the role of sleep hygiene behaviours in sleep: Associations between sleep hygiene, perceptions and sleep [Advance online publication]. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-023-10212-y
• McAlpine, T., Mullan, B., & Clarke, P. J. F. (2023). Assessing the daily association of sleep hygiene behaviours with sleep: A between and within persons approach. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 47(2), 255-270. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-023-00448-0

Within the current healthcare landscape, there is a need for supportive and effective care to improve the outcomes of individuals at risk or those living with chronic disease. Our research has focused on understanding the experiences and developing interventions to improve health and well-being. In addition, our research has involved working with different health professionals to facilitate delivery of effective health interventions.

Key Outputs

• Breare, H., Mullan, B., Kerr, D. A., & Maxwell-Smith, C. (2023). Training Australian Dietitians in Behavior Change Techniques Through Educational Workshops: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 12(1), Article e49723. https://doi.org/10.2196/49723
• Finlay-Jones, A., Parkinson, A., Sirois, F., Perry, Y., Boyes, M., Rees, C. (2023). Web-Based Self-Compassion Training to Improve the Well-Being of Youth with Chronic Medical Conditions: Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 25, Article e44016, https://doi.org/10.2196/44016
• Liddelow, C., Mullan, B. A., Breare, H., Sim, T. F., & Haywood, D. (2023). A call for action: Educating pharmacists and pharmacy students in behaviour change techniques. Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy, Article 100287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rcsop.2023.100287
• Parkinson, A., Mullan, B., Bebbington, K., Davis, E., Treadgold, C., & Finlay-Jones, A. (2023). Wellbeing and distress in young people with chronic conditions: How do positive psychology variables relate to mental health outcomes? Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, 11(1), Article 2274539. https://doi.org/10.1080/21642850.2023.2274539

Health risk-behaviours such as physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption, poor sun protection and dietary behaviours can lead to an increased risk of cancer. Our research has looked the prevention and intervention of individuals at risk, living with and beyond cancer. Some of work has been in collaboration with the Cancer Council to evaluate campaigns on the uptake of cancer screening, health promotion and cancer education. Other work has been focused on Cancer survivors who are at elevated risk for secondary cancers and a range of other comorbidities compared to those without cancer history. Promoting healthy behaviours such as physical activity therefore become important strategies for reducing risk of cardiovascular disease. Some of our past work has looked to understand the best way to do this by evaluating the efficacy of interventions.

Key Outputs

• Hardcastle, S. J., Maxwell-Smith, C., Cavalheri, V., Boyle, T., Román, M. L., Platell, C., Levitt, M., Saunders, C., Sardelic, F., Nightingale, S., McCormick, J., Lynch, C., Cohen, P. A., Bulsara, M., & Hince, D. (2023). A randomized controlled trial of Promoting Physical Activity in Regional and Remote Cancer Survivors (PPARCS). Journal of Sport and Health Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2023.01.003
• Maxwell-Smith, C., Hagger, M. S., Kane, R., Cohen, P. A., Tan, J., Platell, C., Makin, G. B., Saunders, C., Nightingale, S., Lynch, C., Sardelic, F., McCormick, J., & Hardcastle, S. J. (2021). Psychological correlates of physical activity and exercise preferences in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan cancer survivors. Psycho-Oncology, 30(2), 221-230. https://doi.org/10.1002/pon.5553
• Maxwell-Smith, C., Cohen, P. A., Platell, C., Tan, P., Levitt, M., Salama, P., Makin, G. B., Tan, J., Salfinger, S., Kader Ali Mohan, G. R., Kane, R. T., Hince, D., Jiménez-Castuera, R., & Hardcastle, S. J. (2018). Wearable Activity Technology And Action-Planning (WATAAP) to promote physical activity in cancer survivors: Randomised controlled trial protocol. International Journal of Clinical and Health Psychology, 18(2), 124-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijchp.2018.03.003

As the need for sustainability and sustainable behaviours has become increasingly more recognised in social, political, and commercial landscapes across the world, the need to understand the determinants and drivers of these behaviours has become more important too. A section of our research is dedicated to understanding and promoting sustainable and pro-environmental behaviours.

Key Outputs

• Dorina, I., Mullan, B., & Novoradovskaya, E. (2021). Applying temporal self-regulation theory to identify correlates of soft plastic recycling in Australia. Australian Journal of Psychology, 73(4), 512-522. https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530.2021.2002125
• Kothe, E. J., Ling, M., North, M., Klas, A., Mullan, B. A., & Novoradovskaya, L. (2019). Protection motivation theory and pro‐environmental behaviour: A systematic mapping review. Australian Journal of Psychology, 71(4), 411-432. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12271
• Novoradovskaya, E., Mullan, B., Hasking, P., & Uren, H. V. (2021). My cup of tea: Behaviour change intervention to promote use of reusable hot drink cups. Journal of Cleaner Production, 284, Article 124675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124675
• Uren, H. V., Dzidic, P. L., Roberts, L. D., Leviston, Z., & Bishop, Brian J. (2019). Green-tinted glasses: How do pro-environmental citizens conceptualize environmental sustainability? Environmental Communication, 13(3), 395-411. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2017.1397042
• Uren, H. V., Roberts, L. D., Dzidic, P. L., & Leviston, Z. (2021). High-Status Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Costly, Effortful, and Visible. Environment and Behavior, 53(5), 455-484. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916519882773